One Last Hope
by Shenanigans-and-Imagines
Summary: Sera Darros has fought for the rebellion since she was eight years old. She knows the horrors the Empire can inflict on its people, but rumors are starting to spread of something much worse on the horizon. Whispers of a secret weapon. A weapon too terrible to comprehend, one that could annihilate an entire planet and bring an end to freedom in the galaxy: The Death Star.
1. Chapter 1

Jyn woke to the familiar sensation of dirty water dripping from the ceiling and splattering on her forehead. She opened her eyes looking straight up at darkness with her back laying on the slab that was generously called her bed.

She had been in worse spots. Usually at the hands of some local crime boss or warlord she had angered after stealing weapons or supplies or whatever else she had needed. Over the years she had discovered first hand just how much more creative they were in their methods than imperials. Of course, then it had been different. Back then, she had an out; a friend on the outside, a hidden blaster, or at the very least a knife. Here on Wobani, she was alone.

She glanced over at the sleeping form of her cellmate and wondered idly if this was the day the alien was going to kill her. Nail had told her as much the day before. It was said so casually, one might have assumed it was an empty threat, but Jyn knew better. The type of people sent to Wobani did not make empty threats.

But she supposed it didn't matter. She was going to die on Wobani, one way or another. Nobody ever lasted long. Any sentence longer than five years meant death, and she had been sentenced to twenty.

She was going to die. She was at peace at that, or at least as peaceful as one could be with their own death. The only real choice she had was whether she died of a broken body or a knife in her chest. Out of those two options she preferred the latter.

A slight banging caught her attention as the Stormtroopers made their way down the line, opening random cells for the workers for the day. This stirred Nail out of her sleep, glaring at Jyn through black eyes as if she had been the one to do it.

"Today's the day," Nail rasped.

Jyn nodded her head, but said nothing. There wasn't anything to say.

Then, suddenly, the whole room shook with a violent explosion.

The bars of Jyn's cell rattled and a loud ringing echoes in her ears. The source of the explosion was too far away for her to make out what had caused it, but she could see the smoke and debris spray out from the small opening of the cell.

Jyn leapt to her feet, but Nail beat her to it, pressing her face against the bars.

The Stormtroopers making the rounds paid them little mind as they rushed past towards the ensuing chaos.

"E block is busted open," Nail commented. "Everyone is getting out."

Jyn's eyes widened in shock as she could hear the commotion coming from down the wing. Blasters were being fired. People were cursing and yelling in different languages and more and more Stormtroopers ran past the door towards the outbreak.

Jyn stayed where she stood.

Just her luck. Some breaker explodes, and it didn't affect her cell.

She wandered back to her "bed" and sat down, knowing Nail wasn't going to move from her place any time soon. At the very least, it delayed the alien's instinct to kill her.

As she sat there staring at the opposite wall, she almost didn't notice a new body take a place in front of the bars.

"Liana Hallik," a female voice called.

Jyn turned her head. Liana Hallik, it wasn't her favorite name, but it was the one she had when they arrested her. She thought she was going to die with it, but as she stared at the person on the other side of the cell, she wasn't so sure it would be the case.

An imperial cadet stood at attention, but something seemed just a bit off. She was a little short, even for a cadet, looking to be a few inches smaller than Jyn with a uniform that looked about half a size too big.

"Her," Nail bit out, pointing in Jyn's direction. "Who wants to know?"

The cadet didn't answer. Instead, she stepped back and shot Nail through the bars with a stun shot. Nail crumpled to the floor and Jyn's eyes widened in shock. Jyn looked back at the cadet who now approach the cell opening.

She pulled up her visor enough to reveal a young girl's face. She could have only been about sixteen, seventeen at the oldest. Her expression was stern, which looked almost comical when contrasted against her soft features and wide grey eyes, but Jyn didn't laugh. Young or not, Jyn knew a soldier when she saw one.

"I'm with the Rebel Alliance," the girl said. "I've come to get you out of here."

Jyn couldn't believe her ears as the girl put down her visor and unlocked the door with what Jyn presumed was a stolen key.

Rebels.

They had found her. They had come for her.

Her first instinct was to run. She could take down a teenager easily enough, but the girl was smart. Her blaster didn't leave Jyn the entire time, keeping a proper distance away as Jyn exited the cell.

Jyn only got a glimpse of the mayhem as she peered over the ledge of the walkway.

Some of the Stormtroopers were fighting a fire which had erupted in one of the corners of the block. Inmates poured out of their cells, racing towards the warden's office and exit. Some were fighting the guards, while the ones left in their cells yelled and cursed demanding to be let out.

To her surprise, the girl was pushing her in the opposite direction, towards the soldier's barracks.

"Trust me," she insisted, answering Jyn's unspoken questions. "I've got a way out."

Jyn very much did not trust her and had to question whomever was in charge of this mission as to why they had sent a literal child to retrieve her. Unfortunately for her, the possibility of Saw Gerrera giving the orders wasn't too far off the table. Saw had trusted her with such missions at a much younger age than the girl currently pointing a blaster at her back. It made it all the more precedent for her to make her escape as soon as possible.

They made their way down the hallways and staircases of the prison without incident as all the other Stormtroopers in the facility where already informed as to what was happening. The girl only spoke to give an order, a right here and left there until finally Jyn recognized the back way leading towards the kitchens. They turned another corner and to Jyn's horror, they weren't alone.

Three troopers stood guard, halting their progress.

"Where are you taking this prisoner," the middle one asked.

"Cafeteria sir," the girl said, in the tone of someone who had their orders, but were unclear as to why. "I was told to place all prisoners here until the fire could be contained."

"Our orders are to put the prisoners back in their cells," the middle one spat.

"I don't know what to tell you sir," she said. "I just do as I'm told."

Jyn imagined under normal circumstances, the girl made for a talented liar, but it did them no good here. The troopers were now on edge, and unwilling to take any chances. All three of them raised their blasters towards the pair of them.

"Put down your weapon," the middle one ordered. "Take off your helmet and let's see some identification."

The girl let out an annoyed sigh but did as she was told.

Jyn watched her out of the corner of her eye as she placed her weapon on the ground, and with deliberate hands, removed her helmet revealing a braided mess of dark red hair.

It confirmed Jyn's suspicions of her being somewhere in the range of sixteen to eighteen. It also, did little to ease the situation.

"Keep your blaster on this one," the girl instructed the trooper on the left. "She's got a lot of fight in her."

The trooper heeded her advice and kept his blaster and attention right on Jyn.

Jyn wanted to curse the girl. There were only three of them. If she had allowed Jyn the element of surprise, they could had gotten out of there by now. She doubted the girl had the proper clearance to get past the guards. Playing nice with them was only stalling time.

She gritted her teeth, as her whole body tensed, ready for a fight. She glanced at the girl, but stopped as she noticed, tucked neatly in the back of the girl's pants, was the outline of a compact blaster.

Without warning, the girl tossed her helmet to the middle trooper causing him to lower his blaster and catch it on instinct. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

The girl pulled out her blaster and shot him straight through the chest. The one on the right following immediately after.

The one pointed at Jyn spun around firing blindly at the girl, but she had already dropped to her knees and with one last blast, the trooper fell dead.

Jyn stared at her.

The girl's hands were beginning to shake as the adrenaline started to leave her system, her eyes were wide, and her breath uneven.

Suddenly, Saw Gerrera didn't seem as likely an option. The girl was still soft. At least, she showed it too readily. Jyn herself remembered when her hands would shake after a fire fight, but that had been years ago. Saw had drilled it out of her. So, either the girl was a new recruit, or she was with somebody else.

The girl rose to her feet, some of her composure coming back to her. She turned her back to Jyn to check on the two troopers behind her.

Jyn looked to the ground at the one at her feet and the girl's helmet laying just beside the body.

"C'mon," the girl said. "We've got to keep moving."

She turned to Jyn only to be knocked to the ground as Jyn slammed the helmet right into the girl's face.

Jyn didn't bother to check on her as she grabbed one of the fallen Stormtrooper's blasters and made a break for the exit.

She was going to get off Wobani. She could find one of the vehicles and flee across the landscape. Far away from imperials and rebels alike. She would change her name and disappear to where nobody could find her. She was going to be free.

She never made it.

As she rounded the corner back the way she had come, a large metal hand grabbed her by the chest, lifting her up into the air and effectively jolting the blaster out of her hand. She was then slammed back into the ground, knocking the wind right out of her.

She looked up to see an Imperial security droid looking down at her with cold white eyes.

"You are being rescued," it said politely. "Please do not resist."

Jyn struggled for breath as she cursed the droid and the girl came back into her vision.

"Kay," the girl berated. "You've got to be more careful with people."

"I was merely doing my job," the droid said indignantly.

The girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Jyn.

Jyn waited for a blaster or a sneer to be shoved into her face, but it never came. Instead, to her complete and utter surprise, the girl offered her a hand.

"C'mon," the girl said. "We've really got to go."

Jyn stared at the girl in astonishment, but it did little to phase the other. The girl's hand remained patiently waiting, as her face portrayed an understanding, if not urgent expression.

Hesitantly, Jyn took it and the girl pulled her to her feet.

Jyn was tempted to grab her fallen blaster, but a quick glance reminded her of the droid at her back. The girl might have been willing to forgive her, but she doubted the droid would be so inclined.

She continued to follow the girl past the fallen Stormtroopers, only pausing when the girl bent down to pick up her helmet, before continuing on. They ran through the kitchens and back to the loading bay where a freighter stood waiting.

Jyn understood then. The rest of the inmates were headed towards the vehicles or control panels to call for a ship, unknowing of the unscheduled delivery having been made earlier that day, or of the three troopers stationed to guard it.

The three of them made it into the ship without incident. The girl climbed up the ladder leading from the cargo bay to the cockpit as the droid closed the cargo bay doors behind them. Jyn made to follow her, but the droid gripped her by the shoulder keeping her securely in place.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said coolly.

Jyn glared at him but made no move to fight. She wouldn't win.

"Strap in," the girl called behind her as she prepped the ship.

Jyn wasn't given much of a choice as the droid pushed her into one of the side seats just as the ship lurched upward.

Jyn leaned forward enough to see the cockpit window. The uniform grey sky came closer and closer until nothing, but clouds consumed them. The clouds then made way for the black and white of space. The girl fiddled with the controls and soon the spots of light turned into star lines and they were off.

Jyn let out a small breath of relief as she watched the blue and white lights of hyperspace reflect through the glass, but it only lasted a moment. Her eyes then drifted to the girl in the pilot seat.

She made her last few adjustments to the instruments and pulled out something that could only be an encrypted radio and pressed a few of the keys. Jyn couldn't make out the code from where she was sitting, and the droid standing in front of her made it impossible for her to get any closer.

The girl then placed the radio back in its place, paying little mind as she slid down the ladder. She didn't even look at Jyn as shed off her imperial uniform in exchange for one for the rebellion.

Despite her better judgement and pride, Jyn could no longer keep silent.

"Who are you," she asked sharply.

The girl looked at her, clearly surprised at the question, but her expression quickly shifted into a warm smile.

"Oh sorry," she said politely. "I'm Lieutenant Sera Darros."

She stuck out her hand with the intention of Jyn to shake it. Jyn did no such thing and met the girl with only an icy stare.

"No, I mean who are you," Jyn demanded.

Sera's smile faltered as she retracted her hand. None the less, she kept up the polite attitude.

"I told you, I'm with the Rebel Alliance."

"Who sent you?"

"I'm sorry, that's classified."

"What do you want?"

"Me? Nothing," she shrugged. "I just do what they tell me."

"Since when," the droid cut in.

Sera eyed him with a pointed look, but it did nothing.

"The point is, I can't tell you," she said, turning back to Jyn. "I'm sorry."

She sounded like she meant it too, but that didn't mean she was telling the truth. Jyn was having a harder and harder time understanding the girl in front of her.

Sera in turn seemed to realize she was going to get nothing more from Jyn and made her way back up to the cockpit.

"Aren't you going to shackle me," Jyn called after her.

Sera was part way up the ladder when she turned back to Jyn giving her an ironic smile.

"Why? You going to try and steal the ship?"

Jyn's lip tightened.

That was her initial thought. Knocking out one teenager wouldn't be difficult, but the moment Lieutenant Darros said the words, Jyn knew how stupid it would be. She'd have to get past not just her, but her imperial security droid, and she didn't have a weapon. No, it would be a waste of energy.

Sera seemed to notice her train of thought and nodded when Jyn reached her conclusion.

"You might as well make yourself comfortable," she said. "It's a long way home."


	2. Chapter 2

Sera leaned back in her seat as the ship continued its way through hyperspace. She could feel her eyes grow heavy as she watched the stream of star-lines blur past the cockpit window, but she didn't dare close them. Even with K-2SO in the co-pilot seat, Sera had learned her lesson about letting her guard down. Their guest had remained quiet through most of the trip, but that hadn't stopped Sera from having her blaster set to stun and within easy reach.

Hopefully, when they got back to base, she'd be able to close her eyes for a few minutes. She hadn't slept since she was first given her assignment.

Cassian Andor had finally come back from his mission, chasing smoke trails of a secret Imperial weapons project nobody in the alliance was even certain existed. The only people who seemed to believe the rumors were Mon Mothma and General Draven. Other low ranking officers, such as herself, had their own beliefs, but those in the high command were the only voices that mattered.

But, Cassian had done it. He had found the first real lead they had in months pointing to one devastating conclusion.

The Empire was building a weapon; a planet killer.

The moment the words had left his lips, the air had left the room.

It didn't feel real, but when Cassian continued to explain all scraps of data sewn together over the course of several months from sources throughout the galaxy, there was no doubt left in her mind.

The planet killer was real, and they had to stop it. One way or another.

She took a breath and ran the facts over in her mind.

Galen Erso.

Imperial weapons designer. The supposed leader of the project and possible ally.

A pilot.

Galen Erso had sent an Imperial cargo pilot with a message to Jedha in hopes of getting it to the Rebel Alliance.

Saw Gerrera.

Rebel extremist, labeled terrorist by the Empire, and by all accounts paranoid to the point of insanity. The pilot had been sent to find Saw Gerrera.

Jyn Erso.

Daughter of Galen Erso; smuggler, saboteur, rebel and possibly the key to all of it.

Sera's mission was a simple extraction. Jyn Erso, otherwise known as Liana Hallick, had been imprisoned in the Wobani Labor Camp. All Sera had to do was get her out without revealing the rebellion's hand. If the Empire dug too deep into who had escaped, they could discover what the rebellion was up to before they were ready.

Cassian had been against the mission from the start. He was adamant they could get to Saw by other means that didn't involve breaking the daughter of a known Imperial out of prison, but Mon Mothma herself stepped in to support it. Jyn Erso was the best way to get to Saw's men without bloodshed. In addition, if the pilot had been sent by her father, it would be the easiest way to get him to cooperate. They could then locate Galen Erso and bring him to the senate for trial.

Sera wasn't exactly certain which part of the plan Cassian took issue with, but he had seemed to grow even more frustrated when her name had been added to the conversation.

A beep came from the consul pulled her out of her thoughts and she eased the ship out of hyperspace, coming to stop in view of the giant red gas planet of Yavin, and the small jungle moon floating beside it.

 _Home_.

She smiled at the sight before guiding to ship down towards the atmosphere.

"Base One, this is Lieutenant Sera Darros," she said over the comm. "Sending you confirmation code now."

She typed in the code and soon a familiar buzz came over the radio.

"You're approved for landing Lieutenant. Report to dock seven and escort the prisoner to HQ."

Sera grimaced slightly at the word "prisoner". She didn't much like the idea of treating Jyn Erso as if she were a criminal. From what she had read in the report, Jyn was a rebel just like the rest of them. It didn't seem right locking up their one of their own. Of course, as Cassian constantly liked to remind her, just because you're on the same side, doesn't make you friends.

She reached her hand tentatively to her cheek and prodded the skin, making herself wince.

"That's going to bruise," K-2 said off handedly. "Cassian isn't going to like it."

Sera shot a glare at the droid, but it didn't last. He was right on both counts. She decided to ignore the comment all the same.

"It'd probably be best you report to maintenance after we check in," she said. "I'll take her in."

"That is a bad idea," he said bluntly. "The chance of her overpowering you and escaping is approximately 81.4%. You'd better let me do it."

Sera rolled her eyes. Yes, she was aware of the risks. The state of her face was testament enough, but she also knew that Jyn would be more likely to attack Kay than her. Besides, it was more than just getting her from point A to point B, it was about getting Jyn to trust them. If Draven got his way than she, Kay, Cassian, and Jyn would be on the same mission together. They would have to trust each other and that meant not treating her like an enemy.

"I'll be fine," she assured. "But if something does happen, you can give me a big "I told you so" speech later."

"Fine," he said indignantly. "It's not like I am a security droid or anything."

Sera fought down a smile as they landed the ship. He might have been complaining, but over the years, she had found it was his own roundabout way of showing that he cared.

Sera unstrapped herself from her seat and slid down the ladder to the cargo bay while Kay did the last few checks.

Jyn sat in one of the seats, finally glancing up when Sera landed on the ground.

She offered Jyn a small smile, which was only met with a hardened gaze. Sera knew she shouldn't had been surprised, but she had hoped leaving Jyn unshackled would have lightened her mood a little.

She let out a sigh and turned to her pack. It was then she noticed that somebody had already shuffled through it.

She shook her head. She wondered how disappointed Jyn had been when she had discovered there was no weapon to be found. She did a quick check to make sure nothing was missing before zipping it up and swinging it over her shoulder.

"Alright, let's go," she said, turning to Jyn.

To her slight surprise, she finally got a reaction as Jyn raised an eyebrow.

"You really aren't going to restrain me," she asked.

Sera shrugged.

"I'll have my blaster on you the whole time, if that makes you feel better."

Jyn watched her a moment and Sera could see the plan starting to form in the woman's mind. She knew well enough that, if she wanted, Jyn could easily over power her. She could trip her on the tarmac when she wasn't paying attention, wrestle the blaster away from her, use her as a human shield and make her way into the jungle.

Jyn could do it, but then what would be the plan afterwards? Dump Sera somewhere deep within the trees? Wait for dark in hopes of stealing a ship? Or more likely, try to survive off of unknown plants on an unknown moon until she found an outpost she wasn't even certain was there.

Apparently, Jyn had reached the same conclusion. Her eyes narrowed, and she rose from her seat.

Sera offered a small smile and pressed one of the buttons along the side of the ship, opening the cargo doors. She lifted the blaster lazily and pointed to the exit.

"After you."

They were met by the familiar humidity of the jungle air, perfectly mixed with smell of local flora and the damp musk of rotting of leaves. Sera could already feel the sweat starting to form on her brow, but she paid it no mind. Over the years she had lived on several rebellion bases, but Yavin Four was the first one which felt like a proper home. Something about the ancient ziggurat rising out of the forest, as if it belonged to the landscape itself, made it feel real compared to the tents and ships of past settlements. It was immovable, solid, and she loved it.

"How's the face?" Jyn asked casually.

Sera looked at the woman and felt a wry smile spread across her face. She knew Jyn meant it as a jab but decided not to take the bait. She didn't begrudge her for the hit. She probably would had done the same, given the circumstances. It was her own mistake for turning her back. But, in her own defense, she had had other things on her mind.

"Definitely stings," she said honestly. "I feel like I should thank you for not getting my nose."

Jyn shrugged.

"Bad aim."

Sera raised an eyebrow before letting out a small laugh and shaking her head.

"Guess I'm just lucky."

She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she thought she caught a small smile on the corner of Jyn's lips.

"Could be."

They kept silent the rest of the way as Sera guided them through the hangers and down to one of the bunkers.

If Jyn was surprised as to where Sera was taking her, she didn't show it.

The door to the war room slid open, and they each walked inside.

Sera recognized General Draven standing at attention in the center of the room, as well as several other high-ranking officers scattered around the space. All of them were watching them both closely as they entered.

Draven paid her little mind as his eyes focused in on Jyn. He glanced down to her wrist and quickly took notice at the lack of binders. His jaw tightened slightly, but he kept his face neutral and made no comment.

Sera took it as a good thing. She knew Draven wasn't overly fond of her, but he had seen she'd gotten the job done. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered to him.

Her eyes, then went to the side of the room where Cassian Andor stood casually in the shadows.

He too kept his eyes on Jyn and gave an odd look when he saw she wasn't restrained. He then turned his gaze to Sera, but, instead of militant neutrality, she was met with surprised amusement. It only lasted a second before he gave her a quick once over, scanning for injuries. For a brief moment, she thought she was in the clear, until his eyes settled briefly on her face, specifically her cheek. He frowned slightly, his expression shifting to concern.

Sera winced. She was in for it now. She could practically hear the lecture already forming in his mind as Jyn took a seat across the table. At the very least she had time to think of a good lie before they spoke. Something that didn't involve losing her nerve or turning her back. More importantly, something that didn't put Jyn on Cassian's bad side.

"Lieutenant Darros," Draven said, cutting into her thoughts, "you are dismissed. Report to your station and wait for further orders."

"Sir," she said with a salute.

She gave Jyn once last glance, offering a small smile before meeting Cassian's eyes once more.

His expression had shifted again, this time into the unreadable mask of Captain Andor, intelligence officer for the rebel alliance.

He gave her a small nod, which she returned before turning on her heel and leaving.

There was no doubt in her mind. She was definitely in for a lecture.

* * *

Jyn kept her eyes forward as she made her way across the tarmac with Captain Andor. She was trying her best not to think about what she had just signed up for. The names and faces of people she had told herself to forget came streaming back into her memory. She pushed them down.

She just needed to focus on the end result. Once it was all over, she could go back to her old life. She could disappear and pretend she had never heard of the Rebel Alliance or Saw Gerrera or Galen Erso.

 _Galen Erso._

She clenched her teeth as the name and the face fifteen years out of date echoed in her mind.

 _Just don't think about it._

"Captain Andor!" a voice called.

Both she and Cassian stopped mid-stride to find the source of the call.

Jyn immediately spotted the red haired general from the bunker, and felt her lip tighten.

"General Draven," Cassian said. "Give me a moment."

Jyn simply nodded before Cassian dashed ahead to the boarding ramp of a battered U-Wing, unslung the duffel he carried over his shoulder, and hurried back in Draven's direction.

Jyn continued onward towards the ship. It certainly wasn't a looker, but then again, no U-Wing she had ever encountered was. She liked to think they just came out of the factory that way; dented hull, worn seats, odd smell and all.

She looked up the boarding ramp to the main cabin as she dropped her things.

Towering above the communications console stood the security droid that had captured her on Wobani. She couldn't be bothered to remember what the lieutenant had called him.

"I'm Kay-tuesso," he said, in a polite tone that only made her feel threatened.

Jyn didn't respond, instead busying herself with her bag for no other reason than to give her mind and hands something to do.

"I'm a reprogrammed Imperial droid."

"I remember you," she said.

"I see the counsel is sending you with us to Jedha."

"Apparently so."

"That is a bad idea. I think so, and so does Cassian."

Jyn's brow furrowed as she looked back to Cassian speaking with Draven. They were huddled together close, making sure to go unheard by stray pilots and technicians. She felt her back stiffen in unease, but turned away all the same. She would have to keep her eye on Captain Andor, even more than she was planning to.

"What do I know?" the droid continued sardonically. "My specialty is just strategic analysis."

"C'mon Kay, don't be rude," a voice said from beside her.

Jyn spun around, surprised to see Sera Darros had joined them with a sack slung over her shoulder. Her surprised quickly turned into a frown as Jyn took a moment to properly examine the girl.

Her red hair was done up in a ponytail now, making her look significantly closer to the seventeen Jyn had finally settled as her age. Her nose was small and sharp with whispers of freckles hidden under weather and sun worn skin. The bruise Jyn had given her stood more prominently on her face, but it did little to deter the girl's easy smile from reaching her wide eyes.

Jyn was left with the impression of a battered doll which had accidentally been left in the dirt years ago, and whose owner still mourned its loss. She might had let her guard down, if it weren't certain the girl had a compact blaster tucked neatly behind her back.

"You're joining us," Jyn asked suspiciously.

The girl's expression fell as if hurt by her statement, but it only lasted a moment before she was once again all smiles.

"Well, I hope so, otherwise I brought this along for nothing."

Sera brushed past her and started to move around the cabin, putting away her things, and making last minute checks on supplies.

Jyn watched the girl carefully as she made her way through the ship and took satisfaction in seeing the outline of a blaster hidden in the girl's pants. Sera moved with the fluidity of habit and Jyn caught herself wondering just how many times the teenager had done this.

She had had time to run through the plan Lieutenant Darros had concocted a few times over in her mind on the way from Wobani.

It wasn't a bad plan, but it had all the hallmarks of a rebellion operation; quick, blunt, and meant to confuse rather than destroy. The death of Stormtroopers at the hands of inmates was a side effect, not a feature. Add the fact she clearly hadn't been prepared for the troopers in the hallway and defector from the Imperial academy was no longer an option.

The more likely scenario was she was like Jyn, lost at a young age and saved by the rebellion only to be used as another tool in their war.

Jyn felt a sudden stab of pity for the girl as she saw her whole past in front of her. A dead parent, maybe a sibling. Spending more than one night huddled in an alleyway as Stormtroopers marched past. Hiding in the dark.

Hiding in a cave.

 _Letting the tears stream down her face as she clung to a light in a small hatch until it opened and—._

Jyn snapped herself out of the memory before it could go any further.

Sera Darros was by no means the first to be used. She wouldn't be the last.

Jyn shook her head, deciding to take a moment to examine the contents of Cassian's bag. Nothing but gear; weapons, portable medpacs, signal boosters and the like. No holos of loved ones. No trinkets or lucky charms. It was light, efficient and impersonal.

She pulled out a blaster pistol, weighing it in her hand, before strapping it on her hip. Unfortunately, her movements did not go unseen.

"He'll notice it's missing," Sera said.

Jyn looked up to see the girl standing over her.

She didn't say anything waiting for the girl to try and take the blaster away from her, or yell to Cassian, but she did neither. Instead, she went to her own bag, riffled through, and pulled out her own blaster. She turned back to Jyn and held it out to her.

"Here."

Jyn didn't say anything, glancing between the weapon and the girl holding it in confusion.

How the hell had this girl lasted so long? She was starting to doubt her theory of the child soldier if she trusted this easily. But, just like when she had offered her a hand, Sera kept steady.

After a moment, Jyn put away Cassian's weapon and took the blaster. She wasn't going to turn down having a weapon, but there was more to it. To her surprise, she found she was starting to trust Sera. She certainly still had a lot to learn, but all her actions came from an earnest place. Jyn wondered just how much longer it would last.

Sera gave her a small nod and continued with her tasks. Not a moment later, Cassian came back to the U-Wing.

"You met Kay-Tu?" he asked.

"Charming," Jyn said.

Cassian gave an innocent "what are you going to do" shrug.

"He tends to say whatever comes into his circuits. It's a by-product on the reprogram."

"Why does she get a blaster and I don't," the droid interjected.

Cassian paused, and the easy-going nature of his expression faded as he turned to Jyn.

"What?"

"I know how to use it," Jyn said casually.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he countered.

All warmth was now gone and only the soldier Jyn had met in the bunker remained.

"Give it to me," he said.

Jyn shifted into a defensive stance and opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off.

"I gave it to her," Sera said.

Cassian turned to her with a look of disbelief.

To her credit, Sera stood firm, straightening her stance as she met Cassian's gaze.

It all felt rather familiar to Jyn as her eyes darted between the two of them. She had noticed a similar exchange of looks in the bunker, but had given it little thought at the time, being more preoccupied by General Draven staring her down. As she saw it now, she recognized it as a one between a father and daughter or an older brother to a younger sister. One all naïve trust and the other trying desperately to make them to understand.

Cassian's expression shifted once more, his eyes hardening and his back straightening to attention.

"That's not your call," he said sternly.

Sera looked like she wanted to argue, but quickly realized there was no point. She would only be talking back to her superior officer. Her shoulders slumped, and a detected look took over her features.

Jyn watched the whole thing and felt a sudden swell protectiveness towards the girl.

"We're going to Jedha," Jyn said sharply, "that's a war zone."

Cassian turned his attention back to her, his jaw tightening, but Jyn's resolve only grew.

"Trust goes both ways."

His look didn't soften, but she could tell she had won the argument.

He once again, turned his eyes to Sera.

Jyn could catch the girl trying to hide a smile as she gave him a small shrug. Some of the tension in Cassian's shoulders deflated, before giving Sera a pointed look which telegraphed very simply the discussion wasn't over.

Jyn fought the urge to laugh.

 _Brother and sister,_ she settled. _Definitely brother and sister._

* * *

"You're letting her keep it?" K-2 asked.

Cassian didn't answer as he slipped into the pilot's seat. He kept his attention on the consul, refamiliarizing himself with the controls. It had been a while since he been behind the controls of a U-Wing.

"Would you like to know the probability of her using it against you?"

From his own experience he knew there was little he could do to silence the droid, but he shot Kay a glare all the same. It didn't work.

"It's high," Kay warned.

"Let's go."

"It's very high."

Cassian tried to ignore the truth behind the droid's words as he guided the ship over the canopy and up through the atmosphere. It wasn't until the view from the cockpit turned to star lines did he finally allowed himself a moment to think.

His conversation with Draven on the tarmac came back to him, as well as the final orders which were now etched into his mind.

Galen Erso is vital to the Empire's weapons program. There will be no extraction. You find him, you kill him. Then and there.

The order did not bother Cassian. It wouldn't be the first time he had been asked to kill for the sake of the rebellion and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

Draven was not wrong in wanting Galen Erso dead. After years living under the Empire's influence, Galen's efforts had cost countless lives and if he continued, would cost countless more. Killing him was not only the practical thing to do, it was the right thing to do.

Cassian was certain of this, but, all the same, he felt troubled. His mind then went to the woman sitting in the cabin behind him.

Jyn Erso.

There was something about her, something in her eyes which frightened Cassian. A fiery need he was certain would burn him if he stared too long.

Had he imagined it? A part of him thought he had, given Sera's willingness to put a blaster in the woman's hands. Then again, he was fairly certain Sera would trust a rancor not to bite her if it asked her nicely enough.

He let out a small sigh and pulled off his headset before slipping out of the pilot seat.

Sera was sitting across from the communications console with her head against the wall, and her eyes drooping with sleep. She straightened a little as he stepped down and offered him a soft smile.

Despite the circumstances, Cassian felt himself return the look.

"I'm pretty sure she's knocked out," she commented, nodding to the cabin. "Can't really blame her."

Cassian turned his attention in that direction.

Jyn was in one of the seats against the wall. Her eyes closed, and her head rolled to the side. A part of him was grateful. He wasn't sure if he was up to having to meet that need again so soon.

"I suppose not," he said, before looking back to Sera. "Are you going to tell me what happened to your face?"

"Depends, are you going to tell me what Draven said to you?"

Cassian stiffened slightly, but he let it go. It wasn't a challenge on her part. He knew she trusted him more than anybody. She understood if it was important for her to know, he would tell her, and, in this instance, she didn't.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he said easily.

Sera watched him a moment but seemed satisfied with his answer and nodded her head.

"Now what happened?" he continued.

She shrugged.

"Nothing bad. Bucket-head just got a lucky shot."

"That's a lie," K-2 chimed in. "Jyn hit her across the face with a helmet after Sera turned her back."

She shot the droid a betrayed look, but Cassian ignored it.

"Damn it Sera," he cursed. "What have I told you about being careful?"

"I was," she defended. "I just…I got distracted."

"Distracted?"

"Checking on the Stormtroopers," Kay offered. "I don't see why though. They were assuredly dead before they hit the ground."

Sera didn't say anything. She turned away, looking straight forward trying to cover the sudden distant look in her eyes.

The initial frustration Cassian had felt slowly dissipated, only to be replaced by guilt.

She still wasn't used to killing. A part of him was grateful for that and hoped she never would, but another part of him, the rebel, the spy, the solider, needed her to grow up.

He breathed out a sigh.

"You never turn your back on a prisoner," he said calmly. "Do you understand? She could have shot you."

"But she didn't," Sera countered. "Give me some credit, I wouldn't have turned my back if I thought she was going to kill me."

"So, what? You trust her?"

"Enough to get us to Saw."

Cassian stared at her a moment and shook his head.

He wondered if Sera would feel the same way if he told her what he had been ordered to do. But, he pushed the thought away, deciding instead to focus on the immediate present.

"When's the last time you slept?" he asked off handedly.

Sera gave the moment a brief thought, before shrugging.

"Before I left."

Cassian nodded his head and made his way to the cabin. As quietly as he could, he pulled out one of the spare blankets from one of the survival packs and walked back over to Sera, handing it to her.

She took it gratefully and wrapped herself into a tight cocoon before laying her head against the wall.

"Wake me when we get to Jedha?" she asked gently.

Cassian felt the urge to laugh, but instead settled on a small smile.

"Just close your eyes."

She must had been more exhausted than he thought as all she did was nod her head before drifting off.

Cassian stood there a moment, his heart tightening at the sight.

His mind took him far away, back when he was just a teenager himself.

Sera was sitting in the co-pilot seat of a stolen freighter. Only eight years old, wrapped in a blanket, her small head resting on Cassian's rolled up jacket.

He snapped himself back into the present and tucked the memory away.

She didn't need to know about his mission to kill Galen Erso. He might not be able to protect her from most things in the universe, but he could spare her that.

His eyes then turned to the other woman asleep in the cabin and he could feel his jaw tighten.

He'd also spare her the wrath of Jyn Erso for a little while longer. He knew what was coming for him if Jyn ever learned the truth. Sera didn't need to get caught in the crossfire.

Turning his heel, he made his way back to the cockpit and settled himself into his seat.

It was a long way to Jedha


	3. Chapter 3

In her dream, Jyn was on Coruscant again. She got up from her bed and peaked behind her bedroom door, seeing her mother and father talking with another man. The man in white. She was just a girl, five or six years old. She couldn't remember what they were saying, but she knew she wasn't supposed to be listening. Her Papa spotted her, but she didn't back away from the door. He smiled at her gently, kneeling down to her level.

"What's the matter Jyn? You look frightened."

He picked her up, holding her close in his arms, safe and warm.

"I'll always protect you," he promised, swinging her back onto the bed causing her to laugh. She bounced lightly. She could remember the old pillows and blankets. It was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept on.

"Stardust, don't ever change," he murmured.

The dream shifted.

Her Mama was placing her crystal necklace around Jyn's neck. She was hugging her goodbye. She was hugging her papa for the last time. She was running. She was in the cave, in the hatch. She was sitting in the dark, tears streaming down her face, waiting for her mama and papa, knowing they would never come.

The hatch opened and Saw Gerrera looked down.

* * *

Jyn snapped herself awake. The dream faded, but the images and voices still echoed behind her eyes and in her ears. She shook them away and looked out the U-Wing's window as it came into view of their destination.

Jedha was a barren rock of a moon, about on par with any other Outer Rim dust bowls she had come across. There were no oceans, or cities, or any type of landmark visible from space. Only cold red desert.

"That's Jedha," Cassian announced. "What's left of it anyway."

The U-Wing rolled and rocked as they descended through the atmosphere, the harsh winds bombarding the cabin only making it worse as they came closer to the surface. Jyn thought for sure she was going to be sick. Cassian and the droid seemed unperturbed in the cockpit, meanwhile Sera didn't so much as blink open an eye and remained curled in her blanket the whole way down. Jyn envied her. She would take unconsciousness over the nausea and steady stream of unwanted thoughts flowing through her mind.

 _Galen Erso is alive. My father is alive. Galen Erso is not my father._

Again, she pushed the thoughts down. She just needed to find something useful to do.

By the time they landed, Jyn had filled her satchel with supplies she found strewn about the ship; gloves, jacket, hood, a pair of combat truncheons, ration packs, maps, and so on. She doubted she needed all of it, but she often found it was better safe than sorry. As soon as the doors opened, Jyn made her way out of the ship only just catching Cassian finally nudging Sera awake as she exited.

They were perched on top of a mesa, providing a clear view of the valley below. She walked further down, and took a spot on a boulder away from the ship. She looked out, getting her first view of Jedha City, the Holy City, or NiJedha, depending on the source.

From so far away, it hardly looked like a city at all. Its worn red walls made it appear as if it had been naturally carved over years by the wind and sand. Only a single tower peeking out from behind the walls gave away the game. That, and the small swarm of shuttlecrafts buzzing from above the rooftops to the underbelly of the Imperial Star Destroyer looming overhead.

Jyn heard Cassian, K-2, and Sera exit the U-Wing behind her, sending small pebbles tumbling down the side of the mesa.

"What's with the Destroyer," she asked.

"The Empire's been sending those since Saw Gerrera started attacking their cargo shipments," Cassian said.

Jyn felt herself smile. She wasn't sure if it was out of pride for Saw, or spite for the Empire.

"What are they bringing in?" she asked.

"It's 'what are they taking out?'"

Cassian handed her a set of quadnocs. She raised them to her eyes and allowed them a moment to adjust, before zooming in on one of the shuttlecrafts. She could just make out half a dozen cargo crates colored hazard-orange strapped to the undercarriage.

"Kyber crystal," Cassian continued. "All they can get. We believe the Empire is using it as fuel for the weapon."

"They must be coming to the last of it," Sera commented. "There aren't nearly enough ships to be at full capacity."

Jyn turned, finally noticing the girl standing behind her and Cassian. Sera lowered her quadnocs and continued to look out to the horizon. Her eyes lingered on the Star Destroyer as her knuckles turned stark white.

"You really think the planet killer is real?" Jyn asked.

Sera looked at her, cocking her head slightly to the side in confusion.

"You don't?"

Jyn shrugged.

"Could be. I'm not surprised that Empire wants a planet killer. I'd just be surprised if it works."

"It might not," K-2 said cheerfully. "There haven't been any other reports of kyber mining outside of Jedha."

Jyn eyed the droid carefully, taking special note of his Imperial markings.

"Maybe we should leave target practice here behind."

"Are you talking about me?" K-2 asked.

Cassian straightened up, tightening his pack and jacket as he did so.

"She's right," he said. "We need to blend in. Stay with the ship."

"I can blend in," K-2SO said matter-of-factly. "I'm an Imperial droid. The city is under Imperial occupation."

"Half the people here want to reprogram you. The other half want to put a hole in your head," Jyn countered.

She looked down at her bag and back at the valley towards the city, calculating the distance in her mind. She had definitely over packed.

"I'm surprised you're so concerned with my safety."

Jyn straightened up and walked towards the droid.

"I'm not," she said. "I'm just worried someone might miss you and hit me."

She tossed him the sack, and continued on, barely paying attention when the droid called back.

"Doesn't seem so bad to me."

She could hear Sera laugh lightly, as she followed behind.

"Better luck next time Kay."

"You're staying behind too," Cassian said.

That caught Jyn's attention as she spun around to see Sera stop in her tracks, looking at Cassian in disbelief.

"What?"

Cassian remained unaffected by her outburst, keeping his face neutral.

"Watch after Kay and wait for my signal in case we need a pick up."

"Kay can watch after himself," she countered.

"Fine, he watches you."

"Cass—"

"That's an order lieutenant," he cut off, sharply.

That shut her up as she seemed to realize the line she had crossed.

Jyn had a feeling it was a line the girl crept along the edge of often, as she straightened to attention, becoming the soldier Cassian was telling her to be.

"Yes, sir."

The whole scene felt very familiar to Jyn. In her mind, she saw Saw Gerrera again, standing tall and imposing over her; his features hardened, but his eyes holding a small hint of pride as she stood a rigid attention. She looked to Cassian waiting to see the same look.

It never came. The soldier's masked faltered. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his expression grew soft, and, for a lack of a better word, tired.

"You're the one who gave up your blaster," he said wryly.

Sera looked like she wanted to argue the point, but her resolve dissipated. She gave him a half-smile instead and nodded her head in defeat.

In a rare sight Jyn didn't think she would ever be witness to, Cassian actually smiled back. He walked to the girl and gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

"We'll be back before you know it," he promised.

He then turned back to Jyn, the warmth fading from his eyes.

"Let's go," he said.

And just like that, Captain Andor was back, and Jyn was grateful.

She could handle Captain Andor, rebel intelligence. She wasn't sure if she fully understood Cassian.

* * *

So, she _was_ being punished, Sera concluded as she watched Cassian and Jyn walk towards the Holy City. She should had known she'd gotten off too easily on the flight there.

She made her way back to the U-Wing to see Kay already at work tuning the radio to Cassian's frequency.

"I told you he wouldn't be happy," the droid said as she dropped her pack in the cabin.

"I never said he would," she countered. "Are we set?"

"Yes, and now we wait."

He already sounded just about as bored as Sera was feeling. She didn't bother going to the cockpit, and instead sat in the entrance of the ship looking out towards the desert and the city far in the distance.

As the minutes ticked by, she couldn't keep her eyes from going back to the Star Destroyer. She had never seen one enter the atmosphere before and therefor never got a proper sense of just how enormous the ship actually was. The Empire undoubtedly was using the ship purely for intimidation, and it was working.

 _If that was a Star Destroyer, how big would a planet killer be?_

She pushed down her fear as best she could, but being forced to just sit and wait left her agitated.

Cassian could handle himself. She knew that. And Jyn would be with him too. He wouldn't be alone.

All the same, her gut twisted as she thought of everything that could go wrong.

"Kay, what's the statistical likelihood they'll run into some kind of trouble?" she asked.

"Well that's a conveniently vague way of putting it," the droid said sardonically.

Sera rolled her eyes.

"The kind of trouble that end with them being dead then."

"Approximately 72.6 percent."

She took a moment to think. It was a silent agreement between her and Cassian not to run interference until the odds of death reached at least eighty percent. Then again, she knew for a fact Cassian had violated the rule more than once. Besides, Saw Gerrera was an unknown variable in the equation, anything could happen.

Sera stood and started shuffling through the cabin. She quickly found what she was looking for; an A280-CFE blaster. She grabbed the sniper attachments as well, just in case. It would be a little tricky sneaking it into the city, but she could manage.

She unpacked her bag and stuffed the weapon inside before covering it haphazardly with clothes, rations, and whatever else a traveling pilgrim would bring to Jedha.

"Stay with the ship," Sera said. "I'm just going to make sure they aren't in any trouble."

She pulled on a jacket and gloves, and covered her head in a grey scarf before swinging her satchel over her shoulder. Standing straight, she brushed her hand behind her back, reassuring herself that the compact blaster was still safely hidden.

"And what if you get into trouble?" Kay asked.

She looked up, giving the droid a wry smile.

"Then you'd better come and get me."

As it turned out, she needn't had bothered hiding the blaster. While Stormtroopers did guard the gates to the city, they seemed more concerned with the people going out than coming in. They barely gave her a pacing glance as she made her way past the first check point.

Remembering her training, she allowed herself to get swept up in the flow of people, keeping in pace with those around her. She kept her head down, making note of the patrols marching up and down the streets. Only when the crowd thinned out in the market place did she dare break away.

She imagined, at another time, she might had enjoyed the city in some strange way. Pilgrims from across the galaxy came to Jedha, humanoid and alien alike. The wall of noise was a mixture of different languages, either haggling or praying or some variation of both. The smell of food from the local vendors wasn't half bad and she could admire the artistry of some of the small trinkets for sale. But, there was no ignoring the shadow blocking out the sky above. Underneath the normal sounds of the market were the distorted voices of Stormtroopers, the clattering of their armor, and the echo of distant blaster shots. Jedha was a city under occupation, a state which Sera knew well.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the flashing of an Imperial propaganda hologram.

"Citizens of Jedha, you must come forward with information of the location of this missing cargo pilot. A reward of 600 credits for the information shall be awarded."

That caught her attention. She turned toward the recording, but didn't dare get any closer than she already was. She could just make out the profile of a young man, around the same age as Cassian being displayed. He was dark skinned, bearded, with a large nose and wide dark eyes. She memorized the features, storing them away in the back of her mind for later.

"He goes by the name Bodhi Rook," the hologram continued. "Contact the local authorities with any information."

The message ended, looping back around to the Imperial insignia before starting up again. She tore her eyes away, scanning the area for a familiar face, but there was nothing to see. She shouldn't had been surprised. Cassian and Jyn had a good lead on her. She wasn't going to catch up to them from the ground.

Taking a quick look around, she ducked into one of the nearby alleyways. Along the sides of the walls were crates and barrels, stacked one on top of the other until they almost reached the building's ledge.

Checking the entrance to the alley for Stormtroopers, she tightened the satchel strap across her chest and climbed up onto one of the crates, then another, then another until she was about four crates up. The stack wobbled slightly as she reached the top, but she maintained her balance all the same. She looked up, seeing the ledge of the building remained about two feet out of her reach.

Taking a breath, she slowly rose to her feet and jumped.

Her hands latched to the side of the building, causing her feet to dangle dangerously along the side. Gritting her teeth, she hauled herself upward, using what little grip she could get with her feet to pull her up and over the edge.

Once she was safely up, she crept towards the ledge, peering down at the people below.

There was still no sign of Cassian or Jyn, which meant they were further along than she thought. Finding the balance between caution and speed, she made her way across the roof tops.

She could feel the agitation and fear she had acquired on the ship start to melt away as jumped and climbed, making sure to always keep one foot in front of the other. This was what she was good at. Crawling around vents, alleyways and rooftops; gathering intel from places no one else could. There was no need for a fight because nobody could catch her. Hell, nobody was even looking.

She stopped, spotting a group of approaching Stormtroopers and ducked low.

Their footsteps never faltered as they continued down the street.

Carefully, she straightened slightly, looking down at the plaza. It wasn't far from where Cassian and Jyn were supposed to be meeting their contact.

At that moment, a glint of something caught her eye. She turned. On a roof, not far from where she was sitting, she caught it again; the reflection of a sniper scope.

Her heart leapt into her throat and she turned her head to the other rooftops, catching one man getting into position. Turning her eyes downward, a Duros stood on a staircase, hidden from street view. In the distance, she could hear the low rumble of a tank.

She needed to get out of there. Keeping an eye on the street, she crawled along the rooftop, only to stop when she saw the familiar blue of Cassian's jacket.

She froze. Her eyes going wide as both he and Jyn came into clear view.

The tank rolled into the plaza. She didn't have time to climb down and warn them, as everyone poised their weapons. Her instinct was to scream for him to run, but she fought it down. It would only tip off the Imperials starting the firefight before the rest of the rebels were ready and no doubt killing both her and Cassian in the process. She didn't know what to do.

The deafening _boom_ of the grenade made the decision for her.

She could feel the vibrations in her teeth and ears as the world around her exploded into a barrage of blaster fire. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ducked below the roof's edge. She wasn't in control of her breathing anymore and her hands shook.

She closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself, but it only amplified the yelling and explosions and the smell of burnt metal. She kept focus on her breathing all the same. There wasn't time to be afraid. She needed to move.

Snapping her eyes open, she grabbed her pack, and pulled out the blaster, adjusting it with new found speed. Taking a position along the edge, she set her sights on the nearest Stormtrooper.

 _Don't think_ , Cassian had told her, _just breathe and squeeze._

She fired. The bolt went straight through his chest making him crumple to the ground. She had no time to linger on the sight as she caught Jyn making a run across the plaza.

She didn't bother to question why Jyn as making such a dangerous move. Through the scope, she laid down a barrage of cover fire, shooting at anything with white armor. She got one in the shoulder, another in the leg. One she missed completely, but it was enough to draw his attention only to be hit by someone else.

Jyn came running back, holding a small girl in her arms.

Sera continued to fire, keeping half an eye on the Jyn the entire way back.

Jyn handed off the girl to presumably her mother pausing just a second too long. She was too exposed.

A blaster bolt flew past Jyn's head.

Sera followed the shot back to the trooper and opened fire, hitting him twice before he went down. She turned her eyes back to Jyn, just in time to see her duck behind the tank, blocking her from most of the firefight.

Out of the corner of Sera's eye, she spotted one of Saw's men pull out a grenade and take aim for the tank; right where Jyn was.

She turned her sights toward the roof, but never got the chance to fire, as the man was hit by multiple blaster shots before falling to the ground. Her eyes followed the shots back, to see Cassian hidden behind one of the archways.

Before anything else could be done, the fallen grenade exploded, sending another deafening _boom_ through her ears. She tried to shake it off, but the ringing remained persistent, throwing off her focus. She didn't notice the man coming up behind her.

His arm wrapped itself around her neck pulling her up, to her feet. She struggled to breath clawing at her attacker's arm as he only tightened the pressure around her throat. Bending her head forward, she slammed it back and heard the satisfying _crunch_ of a broken nose. His grip loosened just enough for her to elbow him right in the stomach before ducking out of his grasp. Gasping for air, she stumbled forward and quickly grabbed her blaster still laying on the ground. She spun back around and raised her weapon just in time for her attacker her to charge. His whole body slammed into her, sending them both tumbling over the roof's edge.

She landed on her back with a hard _thud_ ; knocking what little air was left right out of her lungs. Her head was dizzy and her vision was blurred from the pain. Every part of her body ached; her back, her throat, her chest.

She rolled her head to the side in a halfhearted attempt to figure out what was going on, only to be met with dark blank eyes. The scarf had fallen off her attacker's face, revealing, not the man she assumed, but a boy, maybe only a year or two older than herself. Her first thought was he broke his neck when he hit the ground, but the spreading dark stain on his stomach told another story. She had been able to get a shot off before they went over the edge. Chances were he had been dead before they had even hit the ground.

The world around her slowed to a crawl as bile began to rise in her throat. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. The firefight around her faded away and she could only hear the hammering of her own heart.

A pair of hands yanked her to her feet, jostling her out of her thoughts. She was being half carried, half dragged only for another explosion to force her back to the ground.

Sera turned her head to see Jyn covering her with her own body, taking the bulk of the explosion.

"Can you walk," Jyn asked harshly.

Sera still didn't have enough air in her lungs to talk, but she nodded a yes. That was enough for Jyn as she once again pulled Sera to her feet, and pushed her forward. Cassian was by their side a moment later, leading the way away from the approaching AT-ST.

The adrenaline was starting to come back to her and the world came into focus.

 _One foot in front of the other. Just keep one foot in front of the other._

She followed Cassian, always keeping one stride behind him. They turned a corner only to be met by another Stormtrooper. It was then Sera realized she dropped her weapon in the plaza. Luckily, Cassian still had his and shot the trooper straight in the chest. It wasn't enough, as a squad quickly came into view.

Cassian immediately turned around, grabbing her hand and pulling her inside a nearby archway. The troopers open a volley of fire from either side effectively trapping them.

She pressed her back against the wall and felt a small pressure on her spine. Smiling slightly, she reached behind her and pulled out the compact blaster she had hidden away. It felt oddly comforting in her hand as she snuck peak at the street just behind Cassian. Four troopers in total; two on the left, two on the right, all hiding behind various walls up the walk way. The troopers behind her were more exposed, about five if she remembered right. She looked up meeting Cassian's eyes. She jerked her head to the street behind him and raised four fingers. He nodded in understanding.

Ignoring the throbbing in her chest, she jumped out of the archway, firing blindly before dropping to one knee. The troopers came out of hiding only for Cassian to come out just behind her and finish the job. In a second is was over. The pair of them turned on their heel ready to fire on the other squad only to see Jyn in the middle of beating the troopers in the ground.

Sera lowered her weapon, raising her eyebrows in surprise. She got to her feet and looked to Cassian. His expression mirrored hers perfectly.

Jyn managed to disarm one of them, grabbing their blaster and firing at the remaining troopers. She then backhanded a trooper trying to rise across the face, before spinning around and firing a single shot into an approaching K-2 security droid. The droid's chest popped and sizzled before it tumbled to the ground, only to reveal a second, identical droid marching right behind it.

Sera recognized the posture and battle marks immediately and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you know that wasn't me?" K-2SO asked suspiciously.

Jyn looked slightly taken aback but covered it quickly non-committal shrug.

"Of course."

Sera allowed a small smile to pass her lips, feeling the urge to laugh. It didn't last however, as her eyes found Cassian's hard, unflinching gaze.

"What were you thinking," he growled.

Sera winced at his tone, but she didn't back down. Her body was too full of adrenaline, to give much thought to consequences.

"I was thinking you don't leave a scout in the getaway ship," she said matter-of-factly.

Cassian looked like he was about to have an aneurism, but he knew it was not the time or place to have it out. Although, Sera had a feeling he would put in with Draven for her to be grounded for at least a month as soon as they got back to base.

"And what's your excuse," he snapped, looking to K-2. "I thought I told you to stay on the ship."

"You did," the droid said coolly, "but, I thought it was boring and that you were in trouble."

The droid's head jerked, and Sera followed his gaze to a Stormtrooper rising to his knee, a small metal cylinder in his hand.

Jyn raised her truncheon warningly as just as the trooper limply tossed it at all of them. Sera tensed to leap out of the way, but K-2 extended his arm and caught it with ease.

"There are a lot of explosion for two people blending in," he said, casually tossing the grenade over his shoulder. It hit the ground with a hard _boom_ , and Sera could just see the pile of Stormtroopers it left in its wake.

"You're right," he said. "I should have just stayed on the ship."

He strode away, not even bothering to look over his shoulder.

"I suggest we leave immediately."

* * *

Cassian tried his best to ignore the chill creeping in through his coat as the four of them weaved their way through the maze of the Holy City. The adrenaline which had kept warm blood pumping through his veins was starting to fade and he was becoming acutely aware of the layer of sweat clinging to his undershirt. Still, if was bad for him, he could only imagine what Jyn and Sera were feeling.

His eyes found Jyn first.

The _need_ in her eyes hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown only more feral. He was certain it was that same need keeping her standing. She winced with every step, no doubt feeling the bruises she'd sustained while brawling with the Stormtroopers. He wondered, too, how much damage was done when she had saved Sera's life in the plaza.

Cassian's gut twisted at the thought as he turned his attention to the girl.

She was shaking, but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the fading adrenaline; mostly likely a combination of both. He needed to get her to a medic. The fall had most certainly given her at least a minor concussion, and that wasn't even taking into account her back.

The moment she fell flashed in front of his eyes and he felt his heart stop once more. He had spotted her on the roof early on as she covered Jyn's run to save the little girl. A part of him had hoped it wasn't Sera, and rather one of Saw's rebels who remembered Jyn from years ago. The second her body hit the ground destroyed any hope he had. The slight roll of her head was the only indication he had she was even alive, but he couldn't get to her. He had been too pinned down. If Jyn hadn't gotten to her first…

He shook away the thought. She was alive. Jyn was alive. He was alive, that was all that mattered.

He wanted to be furious with her, but he couldn't hold onto the feeling. He understood why she had disobeyed him. It wasn't in her nature to sit still and do nothing. He knew that, and yet he still made her stay behind. He shouldn't had been surprised at the outcome. A part of him just wished, for once, she would do as he said as not as he did.

He was jostled from his thoughts, when Jyn stuck out a hand blocking him from entering a small alley way. He looked up, just in time to see a squad of troopers pass by.

"Double back," he said, turning back the way they came, making a different turn, only to stumble to a halt as Jyn abruptly stopped. Blocking the side street, was the wreck of an X-wing Starfighter.

"Halt! Stop right there!"

The four of them turned toward the voice. The Stormtroopers who'd passed by were now spread out to the block their retreat.

 _Too many to fight_ , Cassian thought. His hand drifted toward his blaster anyway, more just to remind himself it was there. Jyn's shoulder's sagged, but the fire was burning, ready for a fight. Sera was shaking more visibly now, but there was something almost calculating about it. Her eyes were just a little too sharp for it to be natural.

The squad leader nodded to K-2SO. "Where are you taking these prisoners?"

Cassian felt just the smallest flicker of hope spark in him.

The droid stared back at the squad leader, tilting his head as if confused.

"These are prisoners?" he asked.

Cassian winced. The hope snuffed out.

"Yes," the squad leader said. "Where are you taking the prisoners?"

"I am taking them," K-2 stumbled, "to imprison them. In prison."

Cassian couldn't take it any longer and tried to channel his irritation into something a prisoner might say.

"He's taking us to—"

The droid swung a metal arm into Cassian's face.

"Quiet," Kay snapped. "And there's a fresh one if you mouth off again!"

Cassian's nose and chin were throbbing, but he had to admit, it wasn't a bad cover. Unfortunately, it did them little favors.

"We'll take them from here," the squad leader said.

"That's okay," the droid insisted. "If you could just point me in the right direction, I can take them, I'm sure. I've taken them this far."

Three troopers approached them, holding hand cuffs. Jyn looked to Cassian and reached for her truncheons, but Cassian shook his head. Still too many and no way out. It was at that moment Sera spoke up.

"There's been a mistake," she said, her voice quaking.

Cassian turned to her to see she had managed to bring up a swell of tears to her eyes. Her whole body was shaking like a leaf. It curled into itself making her appear five years younger. Playing innocent was a bit desperate, but in all honesty, he would take anything at this point.

"We-we just took a wrong turn. And there was shooting and…" she couldn't go on, causing some of the troopers to stop. "I just want to go home."

Cassian did his best to match her tone, adjusting his face to one of fear and confusion, but it was too little too late.

"Cuff them," the squad leader ordered.

The three troopers looked at each other, as Sera continued to whimper, but they did as their commander told them.

It had been worth a shot.

They snapped their restraints on each of their wrist as Sera tried to plead their case.

"We just want to go home. Can't we just go home?"

"Take them away," the squad leader called.

The Stormtroopers circled and moved in unison. Cassian felt a rifle muzzle nudge at his back.

"You can't take them away!" K-2 protested.

"You stay here," the squad leader said. "We need to check your diagnostics."

"Diagnostics? I'm capable of running my own diagnostics, thank you very much."

 _Don't argue_ , Cassian wanted to snap at the droid, but there was nothing he could do. As soon as the imperials took them captive and ran their test, they would discover K-2's reprograming. There would be no getting out then.

 _You messed up_ , he thought, _and now you have to pay the price._

"Let them pass in peace!"

Cassian turned to see the blind man, one the Guardians of the Whills, standing in an archway looking out toward the Stormtroopers. Cassian stared in disbelief. Was is a joke? Or was he just as zealot as the reports always said?

"Let them pass in peace," he said again, walking out into open.

The Stormtroopers spread out, some watching the blind man, others keeping an eye on the roof for another ambush.

"The force is with me and I am with the force."

The man was in the middle of the street now, separating most of the squad from Cassian, Jyn, Sera, and K-2SO.

"And I fear nothing, for all is as the Force wills it."

"Hey! Stop right here!" The squad leader's snapped.

"He's blind," one called.

"Is he deaf?" asked another.

"I said, stop right there!" The squad leader repeated.

The blind man raised one foot from the pavement, and the squad leader fired a single shot. He heard Sera beside him start to yell out a warning, but it caught in her throat. The bolt never found it's mark. The guardian didn't die. A small twitch of the head, a glance to one side, had saved him and sent the energy instead right past Cassian's ear.

The troopers who had previously hesitated to shoot a blind man opened fire.

The guardian did not look put out by this, dodging two of the shots, both of which hit the Stormtroopers at Cassian's back.

He didn't hesitate. Grabbing Sera, he pulled them both out of the range of fire with Jyn at their heels. He ducked behind a doorway just as another volley of shots flew past his head. He landed hard against the wall, barely getting his bearings as he watched the spectacle unfold.

The guardian was now in the center of the squadron, his staff moving through the air with the fluidity of water. He swept under their feet, and twisted their arms back unnaturally, all with delicate ease. He was even smiling as he slammed his staff into one trooper's foot.

"Is your foot all right?" he asked jokingly, just before kicking the staff upward to the trooper's face, knocking him to the ground.

He twisted another around, using him as a shield as the troopers fired aimlessly, not a single bolt hitting their mark.

It didn't seem possible, at yet, there it was. Cassian had only heard about such things as stories. The great Jedi Knights of old, wielders of the force, protectors of the galaxy, before they were corrupted by the Republic. Even as their enemies, the separatist still had some respect for the Jedi. He had never met a Jedi, but he had believed the stories.

The guardian swung his staff one last time, knocking out the last of the squadron, but the fighting wasn't over yet.

A second squad of Stormtroopers rushed in from another quarter. The guardian was too far way to intercept them before they could take aim. Cassian pressed further into the doorway for cover.

The sizzling snap of a particle bolt echoed through the air, then another, and another mowing down the squadron before any of them could discharge their weapons. When the last was dead, the shooter emerged from across the way.

Cassian recognized him: the blind man's silent partner from the alley, with the repeating cannon and red armor. He held the weapon tight in his hand. In the other was an ornate, gold trimmed bowcaster which he passed to the guardian.

"You almost shot me," said the blind man.

"Your welcome," the other replied. Without looking, he fired a bolt into the back of a Stormtrooper crawling nearby.

Sera peaked her head out first causing the man to turn toward the three of them. He raised his cannon, his expression wary, but not hostile.

"Clear of hostiles," K-2SO announced, striding out on a nearby archway.

Immediately, the armored man aimed at the droid. K-2SO froze, raising his hands into the air. "One hostile!"

To Cassian's shock, Jyn leapt in front of the droid, her hands raised as well.

"He's with us!"

"They're okay," the blind man said gently.

His partner lowered his weapon again. Cassian had the impression he was a little disappointed.

K-2 got to work unclasping their binders, first Jyn, then Sera, and then himself.

"Cassian, I'm sorry about the slap," the droid said. It sounded like he meant it too, but Cassian was too distracted to really take notice.

"Go back to the ship," he ordered. "Wait for my call."

Surprisingly, the droid made no protest and ran out towards the city gates. He then turned his eyes to Sera. She stiffened slightly, but held his gaze waiting for him to order her to go back as well. He was tempted, but he thought better of it. The moment she was out of sight, she'd climb up the nearest wall and start to follow them just as she had before. He'd rather she stayed on the ground where he could see her.

His silence was answer enough for her as she gave him a small nod in thanks. She at least had the decency not to look excited about it.

He then looked to the guardian, feeling a cautious wonder fill him.

"Is he a Jedi?" he asked.

"No Jedi anymore," the armored man said. "Only dreamers like this fool."

Cassian tried not to feel disappointed, but something in him deflated. He didn't know what he would had done if the guardian was, in fact, a Jedi, but somehow it felt they had just lost chance at something he couldn't name.

"The Force did protect me," the guardian insisted with a smile.

"I protected you," his companion replied.

Cassian raised an eyebrow at the exchange. Perhaps it was fortunate the guardian wasn't a Jedi.

"Can you get us to Saw Gerrera?" Jyn asked.

She never got her answer as another voice interrupted them.

"Hands in the air!"

Rebels emerged from the alleys and rooftops. Cassian recognized some of them from the plaza and dropped his weapon immediately. He needed to make it clear to them they weren't the enemy. Sera quickly followed suit, slowly reaching behind her back and lowing her blaster to the ground. Jyn, however, looked like she was ready to fight all of them into the dirt with her bare hands.

"Can't you see we are no friend of the Empire?" the guardian asked.

It did little to help them as both he, Jyn, and Sera were forced to their knees.

One rebel stepped forward: a thin, skull-faced Tognath in leathers who breathed through a mechanical respirator and spoke in his native dialect.

"Tell that to the one who killed our men."

Cassian stiffened as the image of the man he shot flashed in his mind. He didn't feel guilty about it. He had acted on instinct. The man was going to kill Jyn. His very reason for being there. But, if they wanted to punish him for it, that was fine by him. There was plenty else in his life he was guilty of.

Out of the corner of his eye Sera straightened up, glaring hard at the Tognath.

"Maybe if you actually remembered who your enemy was–"

She was cut off by a back hand across the face, undoubtedly forming a bruise to match the one Jyn had given her.

He didn't think. He made a move towards her, but never made it past his knees as two hard hands shoved him back to the ground. A sharp pain between his shoulder blades from the back of a blaster rifle followed for his troubles.

"Anyone who kills me or my friends will answer to Saw Gerrera," Jyn called.

A mummer spread across the group of rebels, each of them turning their heads to look at her. Jyn held her head high, daring any of them to question her.

"And why is that?" the Tognath asked.

"Because I am the daughter of Galen Erso," Jyn said defiantly.

There was a long pause as the Tognath stared her down. Jyn didn't so much as blink.

"Take them," he said.

Cassian was grabbed by the shoulders as a rough dark bag was placed over his head. He could hear the struggles of Sera and Jyn, but neither of them said anything. The only words that were said, were those of the guardian.

"Are you kidding me? I'm blind!"


	4. Chapter 4

Sera concentrated on her breathing. She couldn't make out anything through the hood as they made their way across the barren desert. She kept her eyes closed and willed her heart to stop racing. Her hands to stop shaking. And for some semblance of moisture to return to her throat. None of it came. She gave up, instead, focusing her attention outward to the sounds of Saw's men and their shuffling feet in the sand.

She could hear code words whispered and tried to unravel them in her mind. It was an exercise in futility, but it kept her occupied, at least for a little while. A few words here and there spoken in plain basic, but nothing to give away their location. Of course, she wouldn't had known where they were even if they did say something. She had given up counting her steps almost as soon as cobblestones turned to sand beneath her feet.

In the distance, the low rumble of a ship leaving the atmosphere echoed across the landscape. A small cheer came from their captures. The Star Destroyer's roar faded away and a solemn silence returned.

The Tognath spoke then in his native tongue, low so only the man beside him could hear.

"Saw will know what it means."

In the background, the low chant of the blind man who had saved them remained constant.

"I am one with the force, the force is with me. I am one with the force, the force is with me. I am one with the force, the force is with me."

A part of her was comforted. She couldn't say exactly why, maybe the voice of someone she knew to be on her side was enough.

She wanted to say something. To ask a question about him and his silent partner whose armor she could hear clank a few feet behind her. But, as the rough material pushed up against her still sore cheek, she thought better of it.

Her thoughts then turned to Cassian. She hoped to at least hear his breathing somewhere beside her, but there was nothing. Only more padded footsteps.

A panic went straight through her heart and she felt the urge to call out to him, but she pushed it down. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a soldier in the Rebel Alliance. She didn't need Cassian holding her hand, telling her it was all going to be alright. Still, the fear persisted, and she tried to think of something else.

She strained her ears for Jyn instead, but met the same empty air.

To her slight surprise, the absence of sound didn't frighten her as much as she thought it would. These were Jyn's people after all. They wouldn't harm her, at least until they reached Saw Gerrera. She would be alright, but Sera couldn't speak for herself or for Cassian.

Would they kill him?

It was a strong possibility. They had seen him kill one of their own and these people didn't strike her as merciful type.

Would they kill her?

Not as likely, but still not far off the table.

These rebels, who threw a grenade into an area surrounded by civilians. The ones who didn't care if they were killing the very people they were trying to protect. So long as a few Stormtroopers died in the crossfire. These were the people they were dealing with. She knew civilians died in war. She knew sacrifices were necessary. She wasn't that innocent. But seeing it first hand made her stomach turn.

She thought back to the boy on the roof, making her flinch.

 _You had to_ , she told herself. _He was going to kill you._ _You did nothing wrong._

Still the memory of his searing flesh lingered in her nose as bile acid burned her throat. He must have seen her aim for his friend before Cassian got him. He was acting out of grief. She would had done the same thing. The thought only made her sicker.

She shook her head and tried to take her mind away to someplace else.

She landed on a memory; a different place, a different body. She was barely twelve at the time. She sat on the floor of a dark room. The only light coming from the moon and the occasional explosion down the street. She was pressed up against the wall. Her whole-body trembling as she stared and the lifeless heap in front of her. Cassian knelt beside her. His hand covered hers as he lowered the blaster to the ground. His voice was low as he promised over and over again everything was going to be alright.

The memory flashed forward in time.

She was back on base. She sat on the small cot in her room. Her legs dangled over the side as she kept her eyes on her lap and hands.

"Does it get easier," she asked.

Cassian knelt on the ground across from her, trying to get her to look at him, but to no avail.

"No."

She nodded her head in understanding as she felt the hot pressure of tears forming behind her eyes.

"I wish I could be more like you."

He didn't say anything for a long time. After a moment, he took her hands in his giving them a small squeeze.

"I don't."

She looked up at him then. His expression was soft, and unreadable.

"You're good person Sera," he said firmly. "Stay that way."

A shove at her shoulder jostled her out of the memory.

They were someplace else now. The ground beneath her feet has shifted into something more solid. First gravel, rocks, and then smooth stone. She could hear the echoes of their feet on cavern walls, combined with the louder echoes of new voices, the clamor of blasters, and the sounds of wooden pieces on a game board. The bag was then torn of her face before being she was shoved into the dark wall of a cell. The two guardians were already inside.

She spun around just in time to see Cassian thrown in as well as the door to be slammed behind him.

"Hey!" he called. "Jyn Erso! Where is she?"

Of course, nobody answered him.

She could just make out a handful of rebels on the other side of the bars. Her assessment of a board game was correct. A few more were in a corner cleaning their weapons and she could just make out her own gear on a table close by.

She allowed herself a deep breath of unfiltered stale air bringing her back into focus. Their cell was partially carved into the cavern itself. Skulls lined the walls, undoubtedly the bones of old priest buried centuries ago. They must have been in the catacombs of an old temple. Of course, that information didn't help their situation.

The bars were too thin for her to wiggle through. No ventilation shafts. No bunk she could hide under. There wasn't even anything over head she could cling to. She was properly trapped, and this time, Cassian was on her side of the bars.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Cassian, looking at her intently.

"Are you alright?"

It was a silly question, but one which still needed to be asked. She answered him with a wry smile.

"I've had worse days."

Cassian let out a dry laugh, which caused her to smile to turn genuine. At least he could still take a joke. Their situation couldn't be too hopeless.

He took a place beside the door and Sera followed. The lock itself wasn't too sophisticated. Sera knew between them; she and Cassian had enough tools stashed away in their boots to break out of just about anything. The issue was the confined space. The guards stood only a few feet from the door at all times, and the rock interior allowed sound to carry. Even if the guards did leave, the lock was hardwired to an alarm which would bring them down in a matter of seconds.

Sera let out a huff of frustration. She had often found cheaper cells harder to break out of then those of the Empire. This was no exception. Still, a part of her had to admire the ingenuity.

"You pray," the armored man asked.

Sera turn to the blind man in the corner. She'd hardly noticed until his partner pointed it out. She supposed she had just gotten used to the chanting.

"He's praying for the door to open," the man mocked.

"It bothers him, because he knows it's possible," the blind man said indignantly.

His partner laughed a hollow laugh, only to be ignored.

"Baze Malbus was once the most devoted Guardian of us all," the blind man continued with conviction.

 _Baze Malbus_. At least she had a name. It was unfamiliar to her, but that was hardly a surprise. The question of his partner's name remained a mystery to her, but at that point, it seemed odd to ask.

The pair of them left her in wonder. She knew Baze claimed neither of them were Jedi, but she couldn't believe that. Even if they didn't carry lightsabers, the stories she had been told as a child were too close to the abilities the blind man displayed in the plaza.

"I'm beginning to think the Force and I have different priorities," Cassian said, pulling her out of her musings.

"Relax, Captain. We've been in worse cages than this one."

"Yeah, well this is a first for me."

"There is more than one sort of prison captain. I sense you carry yours wherever you go."

Sera frowned at that as Cassian turned back towards the door, and decidedly away from the blind man.

"And what about you? Lieutenant…" The guardian trailed off waiting for her to fill in the gap.

Sera hesitated. As far as she knew, she hadn't told him she was a lieutenant. Her instinct was to keep her mouth shut, but for some reason, she didn't think it would make much of a difference. She had the impression he knew exactly who she was. He was only asking her name for formalities' sake and to give her an excuse to ask him for his.

"Darros," she answered, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Sera Darros."

The man smiled. "So, Lieutenant Darros. Why do I get the impression you make a habit of breaking out of cages?"

It was starting to feel like the oddest conversation she ever had.

"Only my share," she said carefully. "But, I've always had help."

"We still do."

She grimaced. "Maybe, but I don't think either of them respond to praying."

Her first thought was of Jyn. She had saved her life back in the city. There had been no reason for her to do so, but she had. Maybe she would do it again. However, Sera had no idea what sway Jyn still had with Saw to make that a guarantee.

Her mind then with to K-2. He was still out there waiting for word. Could they get a signal to him? She doubted it. There was the chance he'd go looking for them on his own. But, then again, the chances of him finding them were slim to none.

"Have faith little one," the guardian said gently. "You'll see."

She looked at the man in front of her, feeling something close to nostalgia. Her mother told her stories of the Jedi. It was one of the few solid memories she could cling to. Even when her mother's face became only flashes in her mind, she could remember her voice as clear as day. She never asked where her mother heard the stories. She never knew if they were true or not, but they were real to her. And that was all that had mattered.

He may not have been a Jedi, but he had the faith of one. Despite being strangers, she found an odd comfort in it.

"What's your name?" she finally asked.

"Chirrut Imwe," he answered with a half-smile.

She smiled in turn. She couldn't think of anything to say. And yet, she knew he understood the gesture.

Sera leaned her back against the cell bars, deciding to get comfortable. They'd get out of there. Get Jyn. Find the pilot and get out. She didn't put her faith in praying, but at the very least, she could sit and think.

* * *

Jyn was ushered through the catacombs, her face uncovered, and her hands bound. It was coming back to her. The faces now surrounding her were different, but the scars and dirt and smell were all the same. Old memories and people she hadn't thought about in a lifetime came flooding back to her. These were Saw's rebels and, even after all these years, her people. She hated it.

For as long time Jyn had pictured seeing Saw Gerrera again. She had spent more than one late night practicing hurtful words until she could recite them in her sleep. But the need and the anger had long since died away until the fire was nothing but embers. She wasn't sure she even wanted to fight anymore. She just wanted it done.

Her mind flittered back to Cassian and what would happen to him. She knew what Saw did to traitors. She had seen him tie and gag a would-be deserter and drop him beaten right in front of an imperial outpost. What Cassian did for her would come at a much higher price.

She shook her head. She couldn't think about it. He made his choice. It wasn't her problem. She had more important things to think about. Saw was the only thing she could allow herself to think about.

They came to a curtained doorway. Without warning, the Tognath pushed her inside, revealing small chamber. Jyn took a quick glance around. It was empty with only the view of the Holy City to mark it as any former place of importance within the old temple.

The alien cut her roughly bonds, before turning on his heel and leaving without another word.

A metallic clank pushed her back into focus.

"Jyn," a raspy voice called to her. "Is it really you?"

She steeled herself, turning her head to face Saw Gerrera. What she found, was only his remains.

In her mind, she remembered a soldier. A man scarred, but strong and imposing as he watched over her. Now, all she saw was an old man, held together by scaffolding and strings.

"I can't believe it," he whispered.

"Must be quite a surprise." She made sure to keep her voice cold and distant. She had prepared herself for a fight. She wouldn't let him cheat her out of it. Not now.

"Are we not still friends?" His voice was gentle. The voice of the man who, behind closed doors, treated her as the daughter he never had. She didn't want that Saw. She couldn't fight that Saw.

"The last time I saw you," she said bitterly, "you gave me a knife and a loaded blaster and told me to wait in a bunker until daylight."

"I knew you were safe."

"You left me behind."

"You were already the best soldier in my cadre," he reasoned.

"I was sixteen."

"I was protecting you!"

"You dumped me!" she bit out. The fire was starting to burn again. She could feel it rising in her.

"You were the daughter on an Imperial science officer!" he snapped. "People were starting to figure that out. People who wanted to-to use you as a hostage."

His eyes softened. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of you."

 _No._ She wanted to scream out. She didn't want this. She was so close. She had felt the fire start to come back only for it to die in the kindness of his voice.

There was a shift then. A glimpse of the warrior she once knew.

"But today, of all days?" He trailed off, taking a step towards her, examining her with paranoid eyes. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

"What?"

"The pilot!" he snapped. "The message. All of it." His hand when to his mask, taking an intake of oxygen, momentarily breaking the illusion. He lowered the mask once again. His expression changing to something almost wounded. "Did they…send you? Did you come here to kill me?" He gestured to the rest of himself. "There's not much of me left," he said with hollow humor.

Jyn gritted her teeth. The soldier was still there in the wreck of a man, but this was not the fight she had expected. She needed it done. It just needed to be over.

"The Alliance wants my father," she said simply. "They think he's sent you a message about a weapon. I guess they think by sending me you might actually help them out."

"So, what is it that you want, Jyn?"

He stared at her intently, but she refused to give him what he wanted.

"They wanted an introduction, they've got it," she said. "I'm out now. The rest of you can do what you want."

"You care not, about the cause?"

She didn't know whether to scream or laugh. Her belief in the cause died a long time ago. Somewhere between Saw leaving her in the bunker and being trapped on Wobani, she had allowed it to wither and crack until nothing remained but dust.

"The cause?" she snapped. "Seriously? The alliance? The…the rebels? Whatever it is you're calling yourself these days? All it's ever brought me is pain."

"You can stand to see the Imperial flag reign across the galaxy?" Saw asked.

Jyn only shrugged. "It's not a problem if you don't look up."

She wanted the words to hurt. She needed them to hurt. She needed to see the fire she knew burned so strongly in him to come back. If only to know hers could return as well.

But he did nothing. He only stared at her, as if coming to a new revelation.

"I have something to show you," he said. "Come."

* * *

"Who is the man in the next cell," Chirrut asked.

Sera lifted her head in surprise, looking over to the small gap in the wall between the cells.

"What?"

Baze beat her to it, walking over to the hole and blocking her view.

"An imperial pilot," he spat.

Sera turned to Cassian who was already looking right at her, both of them thinking the same exact thing.

"Pilot?" Cassian breathed.

Baze let out something resembling a growl, reaching through the cell bars.

"I'm going to kill him!"

Both she and Cassian sprung to their feet. Sure enough, just through the opening, Sera could make out the grey of an imperial uniform.

"Back off. Back off!" Cassian said, stepping between Baze and the opening.

Sera wasn't sure what Baze could do from his side of the bars, but she was certain she didn't want to find out. She slipped passed him to get a look at the pilot. A pang of pity went through her. His whole body was shaking as he mumbled to himself. His face curled into his knees and his dark fearful eyes were far away from where he was. Whatever Saw had done to him, it had taken its toll.

"Hey," she called gently, "are you the pilot?"

The man blinked, but he didn't move from his spot. "Pilot?" he asked somewhere between a groan and a whisper.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"You're Bodhi right?" she asked, hoping the sound of his name might trigger something. "Bodhi Rook?"

It didn't work. The man curled back into himself squeezing his eyes shut.

Her mind raced for something else that might snap him out of it.

"Galen Erso."

The pilot stopped his mumbling. She took it as encouragement.

"Galen Erso sent you?"

His eyes opened once more. He didn't stop trembling, but his breaths seemed to calm.

"I brought the message," he said. "I'm the pilot." His eyes went wide as if discovering himself again. He turned towards her. "I'm the pilot. I'm the pilot!"

Sera couldn't stop the sigh of relief from escaping her lips or the smile that formed.

"Good," she said. "Your name is Bodhi Rook right?"

He nodded. The energy that had come at hearing Galen Erso's name was starting to fade. He was not as afraid as he was before, but she knew she had to be careful with her words.

"My name is Sera Darros," she continued kindly. "This is Captain Cassian Andor. We're part of the rebel alliance."

Bodhi looked to her and then to Cassian.

To his credit, Cassian tried to give what was supposed to be a gentle look, but it came across as forced. Bodhi averted his gaze.

Sera cursed herself at that. She wished Cassian could practice a look other than grim annoyance when it came to strangers. She understood his frustration. They had come looking for a pilot and from what she could see Saw had done his best to break him.

She kept her voice as calm and soothing as she could. "You brought the message, right?"

Bodhi didn't look at her, but he nodded.

"Can you tell me what the message said?"

Bodhi began mumbling again. She couldn't hear any clear words aside from _pilot_ or _planet killer_. All old information.

 _No direct questions then._

"You're a pilot right?"

He nodded.

"What did you fly?" She faintly heard the words _cargo ship_.

"What kind of cargo ship?" she asked.

"Zeta-class," he said, clearer that time.

Older model, usually used for transporting raw material, minimal crew. So, not transporting anyone of importance within the Empire. He didn't meet Galen Erso by transporting him planet to planet then. Most likely they met wherever Galen was stationed.

"Pretty good ship," she mused. "Better than the Lambda-class anyway. Those things couldn't outrun a ten-year-old rusted bulk-freighter on their best days."

Bodhi didn't look up, but he stopped trembling and the grip loosened around his legs.

"Where were you stationed?"

The pilot stiffened.

Sera's eyes widened. "Bodhi…"

He curled back into himself and began to mumble again. She let out a breath of frustration.

Baze grunted behind her. She could feel Cassian's growing need to tear down the cell wall and shake the answers out of the pilot himself. Neither of which were appreciated, but she couldn't deny she was starting to feel it too.

If she ever got her hands on Saw Gerrera she was going to throttle him.

"Bodhi," she repeated a little strained. "You brought the message. Galen Erso sent you to bring the message."

The mention of Galen's name seemed to pull the pilot back into focus.

"I brought the message," he said. "Brought it from Galen."

"Where is he Bodhi," she asked. "Where is Galen?"

* * *

"This is the message I was sent," Saw said, approaching the edge of a console.

Jyn's throat tightened. She hadn't prepared for this. She was only there for Saw, not whatever was coming next. But, for some unknown reason, she stayed perfectly still.

The holoprojector flickered to light and a man she barely recognized appeared in soft pale blue light. She knew she recognized him, but how she knew him fogged in her memory. When he spoke, she knew his voice.

"Saw, if you're watching this, then perhaps there is a chance to save the Alliance."

Galen Erso spoke those words as if signing a last confession.

Every instinct told Jyn to run. To hide. To break the holoprojector into a million pieces and spit it all back in his face.

 _My father is alive. Galen Erso is alive. My father is a traitor. Galen Erso did not raise me. Galen Erso is not my father._

But she did none of those things. Instead, she stood and listened.

"Perhaps there's a chance to explain myself and, though I don't dare hope for too much, a chance for Jyn, if she's alive, if you can possibly find her to let her know that my love for her has never faded and how desperately I've missed her."

 _What good is that?_ She wanted to scream. _You left me. You let my mother die. You did this to me._

But the recording kept on speaking.

"Jyn, my Stardust, I can't imagine what you think of me.

"When I was taken, I faced some bitter truths. I was told that, soon enough, Krennic would have you as well. As time went by, I knew that you were either dead or so well hidden that he would never find you. I knew if I refused to work, if I took my own life, it would only be a matter of time before Krennic realized he no longer needed me to complete the project."

He spoke the words quickly as if anticipating every accusation she could possibly throw his way.

Jyn could feel her legs beginning to fail her, but she stood straight as if to somehow defy the man in the hologram.

"So I did the one thing that nobody expected: I lied." His words were firmer now. As his he'd finally come to solid ground. "I learned to lie. I played the part of a beaten man resigned to the sanctuary of his work. I made myself indispensable, and all the while I laid the groundwork of my revenge."

There was a pause. Galen's eyes betraying the insurmountable guilt he surely felt. "We call it the Death Star. There is no better name. And the day is coming soon when it will be unleashed."

He took another breath, his words rushing once again. "I've placed a weakness deep within the system. A flaw so small and powerful, they'll never find it. But, Jyn. Jyn, if you're listening. My beloved, so much of my life has been wasted. I try to think of you only in the moments when I'm strong, because the pain of not having you with me. Your mother. Our family. The pain of that loss is so overwhelming I risk failing even now. It's just so hard not to think of you. Think of where you are. My Stardust."

Jyn knew the words were important, but she couldn't bring herself to fully understand. The whole world seemed to be crumbling around her. The ground beneath her feet was unsteady. It was only then she realized she was crying.

"Saw, the reactor module, that's the key," Galen continued, the urgency persistent in his voice. "That's the place I've laid my trap. It's well hidden and unstable, one blast to any part of it will destroy the entire station."

The roar in Jyn's ears only seemed to grow louder. The rocks around her felt as if they trembled. She looked to Saw, to see he and the console were trembling too.

"You'll need the plans," Galen spoke quickly as if he too realized he was running out of time, "the structural plans for the Death Star to find the reactor. I know there's a complete engineering archive in the data vault at the Citadel Tower on Scarif. Any pressurized explosion to the reactor module will set off a chain reaction that will destroy the entire station…"

The hologram cut off without prelude and Jyn crumbled to the ground.

"Bodhi, where is Galen," Sera repeated gently.

"Brought the message," he mumbled. "Brought it from Eadu."

Sera let out a relieved breath. She turned to Cassian. He stood still a moment running the planet's name through his memory. Whatever he remembered seemed to be enough as he looked down at her and gave her a curt nod.

Then the cave began to rumble.

"Proton bombs," Baze commented, looking at the ceiling.

Cassian shook his head. A cold dread spread through Sera's body. No, not proton bombs. It was too big. Much too big.

Cassian got to work on the lock. Another wave knocked her out of her daze, forcing her back to focus. She shot to her feet, taking a spot beside Cassian.

Saw's men were already evacuating, and therefore paying their prisoner's little mind. The cell door sung open, and the four of them bolted to the table and their gear.

"Kay-tu?" Cassian shouted into the comm. "Kay-tu, where are you?"

"There you are," the mechanical voice cracked over the radio. "I'm standing by as you requested. Although, there's a problem on the horizon. There is no horizon."

Sera stiffened at the comment but didn't have time to linger as Cassian continued quickly.

"Locate our position. Bring that ship in here now!"

He grabbed his pack, but instead of heading to the exit, started his way further into the cave.

"Where are you going," Sera snapped.

"I've got to find Jyn," he said. "Get the pilot and meet me up top."

His tone left no room for argument. Sera gave a stiff nod in understanding before gathering the rest of her gear. Cassian turned his attention to Baze and Chirrut.

"If you want a ride out of here, follow her."

He didn't wait for an acknowledgement as he ran out the room and up the stairs.

As Baze and Chirrut claimed their weapons from the table, Sera loaded her blaster. She marched toward the cell door, and raised the weapon.

"Stand back," she warned before shooting the locking mechanism.

The door unlocked, but Bodhi didn't move. His eyes were wide with fear as if waiting for her to shoot him too.

Sera could offer no words of encouragement before Baze grabbed the pilot roughly by the arm.

"C'mon pilot," he spat yanking him out of the cell as another rumble hit.

Bodhi stumbled forward. He barely kept himself up right as Baze and Chirrut rushed past him. Sera was a step behind them, stopping only to shake the pilot's shoulder.

"We have to go."

Whether it was her words or the shaking ground, she didn't know, but Bodhi came into focus long enough to follow.

* * *

There was barely enough light to navigate the catacombs. Cassian could only go on the flashes of swinging lights overhead. He steeled himself for a fight, but none of Saw's men bothered to look his way.

He called Jyn's name as he climbed up the steps on the monastery. The collapsing rock echoed through the chambers like thunder, making him choke on the dust. He pushed forward all the same, finally coming to a doorway covered by a tattered curtain.

Raising his blaster, he pushed away the fabric.

"Jyn!"

He turned a corner and found what he was looking for.

Jyn knelt on the floor of the chamber, her shouldered slumped and her body limp. He might of thought she was dead, if not for the armored figure crouched in front of her.

Saw Gerrera lifted his head to Cassian. He looked like a wounded animal and Cassian approached him as such.

"Jyn," he urged. "We've got to go."

She seemed to hear him, but made no movement. It was then he noticed. The need. The fire. It was all gone.

 _Leave her behind._

It's what he should had done in the first place. Sera was out there on her own, while he was just sitting there, but he couldn't.

"I know where your father is," he said.

Jyn blinked. Her eyes flickering toward Cassian. Without further protest, she rose to her feet.

"Go, Jyn!" Saw's voice commanded. "you must go."

Jyn's body seemed to stabilize at the words. Cassian tried to pull her away, but she reached out to Saw, desperately grabbing his hand.

"Come with us," she said.

"I will run no longer," the soldier declared. "You must save yourself."

Jyn's still grasped for him, but Cassian grabbed her other am more tightly tugging her toward the doorway.

"Come on," he said, as she stumbled toward him.

"Go!" Saw urged, straightening up to be the man Cassian had understood him to be.

Cassian pushed Jyn in front of him as she took one last look at the old rebel.

"There's no time," Cassian snapped. He pushed her forward again, and now she was moving, gaining speed with every step.

"Save the Rebellion!" Saw cried. "Save the dream!"

* * *

Sera sprinted through the maze of collapsing hallways. Soon, she was right on guardians' tail with the pilot only a few steps behind her. Saw's men ran past without acknowledging them for which she was grateful. The last thing they needed was a fight.

Behind her she heard Bodhi's trembling voice.

"They're going to kill us. You don't know these people."

Baze laughed so loud she could hear it over the tumbling rocks. It was an ugly sound.

"Forgive my friend," Chirrut said. "You would think it's funny, too, if you knew he wanted you dead most off all."

Sera grimaced at the comment glancing back at Bodhi. Clearly, he didn't think it was funny either.

"Nobody is going to kill you," she said, sounding more certain than she felt. "You're getting out of here with the rest of us."

Bodhi glanced at her, finally meeting her eyes. For whatever reason, he seemed to believe her. His shoulders relaxed, and he gave a short nod.

They continued through the catacombs until sunlight hit them. She paused a moment at the mouth of the cave to let her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. She scanned the valley floor. The rebels were scattered, some just getting into their transports. She moved her eyes upward trying to catch a look of a U-Wing on the horizon. Her stomach dropped as K-2's words echoed back to her.

 _There is no horizon._

Nothing but a wall of earth, and smoke, and death lay in front of her. Her stomach twisted as she snapped her eyes forward spotting a glimpse of metal in the distance. Her legs started moving before her mind did.

 _The planet killer is real._ _The Holy City is gone._ _They had done it._ _The Empire had really done it._ _The pilot was right._

She came to a sudden halt.

 _The pilot._

She whipped around to see Bodhi had not moved from his spot; instead, he was staring in awed horror at the sky. She followed his gaze to the face of the monster hovering above the cold desert planet. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought it was a small moon.

They needed to move.

She sprinted back to the pilot and desperately grabbed his hand.

"We need to go," she said no longer bothering to hide her fear.

He looked down at her. The consistent terror in his eyes was still there, but something else came to the surface. The only word that came to mind was guilt.

Her eyes softened as she gently tugged his hand.

"Come on."

For a moment, she was afraid he wouldn't follow; that he would stay rooted to his spot and let the wall of earth consume him. But as soon as she turned to move, he followed.

She didn't let go of his hand as she picked up the pace. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cassian and Jyn running towards the ship only a few feet behind them. As they reached the ship she tugged Bodhi in front of her making sure he got on board first before following. She didn't have time to buckle in as the ship gave another decisive shake. The force slammed her against the opposite wall, head first. Her vision blurred, but she shook of the feeling the best she could and stumbled to the window.

Roaring brown sands and earth tore through the air around them. Only faint hazes of light seeped through. Suddenly, the constant roll of the ship didn't seem so bad.

Her teeth clenched. They needed more speed, but there was nothing she or anyone could do about it. She closed her eyes and tightened her hold of the side of the ship.

Her mind took her far away, back to when her mother was still alive. She was maybe six at the time. They had flown into an ion storm running away from someone she couldn't remember. Strapped into her seat, she clenched the sides as her mother navigated the storm. She remembered the streaks of white lighting in the darkened sky. She remembered the beeping instruments going haywire and dials spinning across the dashboard. Most of all she remembered how calm her mother looked, her grip almost relaxed on the helm and her eyes hard. Her mother had later told Sera there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Trust your ship," she always said. "Trust the force."

Her eyes snapped open as Cassian gave the order the punch it. Another jolt from the ship sent her to the floor, but she couldn't find it in her to care. Outside the windows the darkened brown sky turned into streaks of blue and white. A wild grin spread across her face.

They made it.


	5. Chapter 5

Jyn had been orphaned when she was eight years old. She had lost her mother on the shores of Lah'mu. The same day Galen Erso, her father, taken away from her. She had now, just lost the man who had raised her in the caves of Jedha. And, the same day, found Galen Erso, whoever he was now.

 _If she's alive, if you can possibly find her to let her know that my love for her has never faded and how desperately I've missed her._

The words echoed in Jyn's mind, tearing her apart with the same voracity as she clung to them.

 _Galen Erso is alive. My father is alive._

He wasn't a traitor. He wasn't a coward, or a pawn of the Empire. Those men, the men she had hated her entire life had died on Jedha. A different man, one made up of pale blue light had taken their place.

She sat in the cabin of the U-Wing trying to reconcile all the opposing facts scrambling to find order in her mind. She was only vaguely aware of her compatriots scattered around the cabin. She could only imagine how she looked; disheveled, dirt encrusted, and catatonic. It was pathetic.

"Baze, tell me," Chirrut said, managing to pierce through her mental fog. "All of it? The whole city?"

The blind man's protector gave no answer. His eyes stayed forward, watching the white blue streaks of hyperspace stream past the bulk head window.

"Tell me," Chirrut repeated.

"All of it," Baze answered bitterly.

 _Jedha City was gone_. For a long moment, her mind couldn't picture it. The concept of an entire city disappearing off the face of the planet in a single blast eluded her. Then she thought of Saw, and it became real.

The death of Jedha City meant the death of Saw Gerrera. It meant the death of Saw's rebels. It meant the death of the vendors and pilgrims she had hours before pushed past in the now destroyed market. It meant the death of the little girl she had saved in the plaza. She felt sick, and then she got angry.

The planet killer was real. The Death Star was real. That's what her father had called it. She had mocked its existence and, now, she was faced with the undeniable truth.

"Understood." It was Cassian's voice. She looked up to see him mummer into the comm unit. He then called to the droid in the cockpit. "Set course for Eadu."

"Is that where my father is?" Her voice was hoarse from lack of use, but she still kept her chin high.

"I think so," he answered.

She tried to picture meeting him. The light in the cave turning into something solid and real. She should had felt joy at the idea, but all she got was apprehension and shame. She wasn't the little girl he had left on Lah'mu. She was a fighter, a thief, a killer. She was a person who had spent the last fifteen years hating Galen for being a man he never was. What could she say to him? What kind of person could she had been if she had known?

"You're Galen's daughter?"

She turned to the man sitting in the corner. She didn't recognize him, but that didn't stop her from pitying him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. His entire body was on edge and his eyes were wide as if, at any moment, the entire haul would swallow him whole. She couldn't imagine somebody looking worse than her, but there he was.

"You know him?"

"I'm Bodhi," he said, placing a hand on his chest. "The pilot."

"You brought the message."

She felt a light in her brighten. He knew her father. He had seen him with his own two eyes. There were so many questions she wanted to ask.

"Yes. Your father…he said I could get right by myself. He said, I could make it right, if I was brave enough to listen to what was in my heart. Do something about it." He stopped, as a swell of emotions threatened to overpower him. He held his head low, finally choking out the words. "Guess it was too late."

Jyn shook her head. "It's not too late."

"Seems pretty late to me," Baze commented darkly.

"No." The word resounded in the ship as loudly as in Jyn's mind. Her father had sent the message. The pilot had delivered it. It couldn't be the end. It could not have all been for nothing.

"We can beat the people who did this," she said, her voice stronger than it had been in years. "My father's message, I've seen it. They call it the Death Star. But they have no idea there's a way to defeat it."

She stood, facing Cassian. The fire was back and she clung to it for life.

"You were wrong about my father."

"He did build it," Cassian countered, as if that made all the difference.

"Because he knew they'd do it without him," she bit back, just as harshly. "My father made a choice. He scarified himself for the Rebellion. He rigged a trap inside."

She turned to Bodhi. "That's why he sent you. To bring the message."

"Where is it?" Cassian asked. "Where's the message?"

Jyn stopped. The emptiness she had felt came back to her. She saw the pale blue figure stop and fade from existence as the entire cave shook.

"It was a hologram," she said limply.

Cassian didn't let up, taking a step closer. "You have that message, right?"

She shook her head, feeling a tightness in her throat. "Everything happened so fast."

Cassian scoffed at the excuse. He turned to Bodhi. "Did you see it?"

The pilot looked up at him clearly wishing he had a different answer. He shook his head, before looking away, ashamed.

"You don't believe me," Jyn bit out.

He looked at her then, and suddenly, she wasn't so sure. It landed somewhere between earnest and patronizing. "I'm not the one you've got to convince."

Meaning the rest of the rebellion. Jyn's jaw tighten at the thought. What sway did she have over them? General Draven would shoot her down the moment she opened her mouth. Mon Mothma might side with her, but the odds of that were too great.

"I believe her," Chirrut stated.

Cassian almost laughed. "That's good to know."

"So do I." It was Sera's voice. Both Jyn and Cassian looked to her. Jyn had barely registered the girl on board. She hadn't said a word since they blasted off from Jedha. She hadn't even moved. Jyn felt a twist of guilt, as she stared at her. The fear in the girl's eyes could rival Bodhi's. Still, she met each of their gazes, and even managed to shoot Jyn a small smile.

She had one rebel ally. Jyn doubted the girl would be enough to convince the council, but the girl seemed to know that. It was gesture of solidarity, and for that, Jyn was grateful.

"What kind of trap," Baze asked. He had been slumped against the wall of the ship during the exchanged, but at the voice of her partner and the girl, had moved upright. "You said your father made a trap."

"The reactor," Jyn said, feeling some of her confidence come back to her. "He's placed a weakness there. He's been hiding it for years. He said, if you can blow up the reactor – the module – the whole system goes down." She turned back to Cassian. "You need to send word to the alliance."

"I've done that."

"They have to know there's a way to destroy this thing," she insisted. "They have to go to Scarif to get the plans."

"I can't risk sending that," he snapped. "We're in the heart of Imperial territory."

She couldn't argue with him, but she couldn't let him win either. All she had left was the message. She couldn't fail now.

"Then we'll find him," she said. "And bring him back, and he can tell them himself."

* * *

The silence which proceeded Jyn's declaration did not bother Bodhi. He was too preoccupied with his own mind to give it much thought. The Bor Gullet and tore his mind apart and put it back together again in the wrong order. His mother, Galen, his flight instructor, Saw, the cave, the message, all of it blurred together, happening all at once, and not at all. He was starting to get a hold of himself again. Lines began to define themselves between his past and his present. But, it was a slow process.

He could see Galen, his voice low and forbearing.

 _If you wish to know what we are building, Bodhi Rook, you may simply ask._

And he had asked. He had seen it. He could still feel the ground shaking beneath his feet. He could hear the wall of death and destruction hurtling toward him. And he could see it in the sky, hovering above the planet.

 _Come on,_ a voice felt a tug of his hand. A girl with red hair was staring at him, begging silently to run.

He had been on Jedha. The destruction had come to Jedha. The Holy City. His home. It had all been for nothing.

But it wasn't. It couldn't. Jyn, Galen's daughter, said it wasn't. They could stop it. They had to stop it.

 _If you can blow up the reactor – the module – the whole system goes down._

He clung to the thought, repeating it over and over again in his mind, allowing it to bring him to the present moment. They were going to Eadu. They would find Galen. They would find a way to destroy it. His mind was coming back, slowly, but surely.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. The red hair girl was moving around the cabin, shuffling through one of the nearby packs. The name, Sera, drifted into his mind. He remembered her from the cave. Her voice had pierced through all the scrambled memories and sounds. He wondered why it took him so long to remember.

Sera stopped her movements, smiling as she found what she was looking for. Crossing the cabin, she held out a food packet to him.

"Here," she said. "You must be starving."

Bodhi stared at the offering as apprehension filled him. It was a trick. It had to be. A part of him wondered if he was still in the cave, but then he thought of the monster in the sky, and he forgot all about it. He glanced up. The girl hadn't moved. She was still holding out the packet, waiting for him to take it. Cautiously, he did.

It seemed enough for her as she took a seat next to him and opened her own.

Bodhi took a small bite. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. His stomach growled as he took another bite. In a matter of minutes, the packet was completely gone. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

Silently, Sera handed him a canteen, which he took gratefully. He couldn't stop himself. As soon as the water reached his lips he chugged the whole thing. When he finished, he looked back to Sera and handed the canteen back to her sheepishly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

There was a pause. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't think of the exact words. She looked down at her hands, fiddling with then idly, until, finally, she spoke. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

Her voice was so sincere, it made his heart ache. Suddenly, all he had left behind came back to him. He had abandoned his friends, suffered torment and humiliation, all for what? For the small hope of destroying a now complete battle station. One that had already destroyed his home? He had failed. He was not a good man or a brave man. It was all gone. Who was she to offer him any sort of sympathy or kindness?

She gave him an odd look and cocked her head to the side. "Are you ok?"

He blinked. He hadn't realized he had been staring. A slight panic took hold, as he physically gulped.

"Why are you being nice to me?" he asked.

Sera didn't answer right away, letting the question hang in the air. Her initial reaction as surprised, but it only lasted a moment and sadness took over her features. He had a strange feeling he wasn't the first person to ask her that question.

"You defected, right?" she asked. "Brought the message."

He nodded.

"Then, I don't see why I need another reason."

Bodhi stared at her. Her tone had left no room for argument, but doubt still resided in his mind.

"You said Galen told you, you could do right by delivering the message," Sera said, as if sensing his thoughts. "What were you going to do after?"

He was taken aback by the question. He hadn't thought about it in so long, it felt like a lifetime ago. When he first started out, the idea of joining the rebellion had appealed to him. After he delivered the message, he had hoped to be welcomed into the rebellion with open arms. Instead, he had been met with distrust, contempt, and pure unadulterated hatred. Saw's men were not the gallant men and women Galen had promised in his stories. They were the killers, and the terrorist the Empire had warned him about.

"I don't know," he said. "I suppose I would join the rebellion. Home isn't really an option anymore."

"Where is home for you?" she asked, gently.

His gut twisted. She didn't know. How could she? A sudden sadness took hold of him at having to be the one to tell her.

"Jedha," he answered.

Her face turned blank. He wished it hadn't. It remined him of every other soldier's face he had encountered since he started his mission. He needed the openness back, if only for a moment. He wanted to talk to a person again.

"Where's home for you?" he asked, hoping for some kind of reaction.

She blinked in surprise. The blankness fell away, as distance replaced it. He wasn't sure if it was better or worse.

She found his gaze again, shaking her head as she tried to hide her embarrassment with a smile. "The rebellion, I suppose," was her only answer.

Bodhi's heart twisted. What had the Empire taken from her?

Flashes of dead bodies, burned down homes, and white stormtroopers echoed through his mind. All of them possibilities. He looked around at the others strung about the cabin. The Empire had taken from all of them. Was that what the rebellion consisted of? Lost souls with no home to go back to?

His attention came back to Sera just as she rose from her seat. She couldn't look him in the eye.

"There are supplies in the pack to help you clean up, if you'd like," she said, walking towards the cockpit. "You should try and get some rest, it's a long way to Eadu."

"What about you?" he asked, quickly.

She stopped and turned to him. The embarrassment was still there, but it had faded slightly at the gesture and a soft smile returned to her lips.

"I'm alright," she promised.

He didn't believe her, but he didn't know her well enough to call her out on it.

"Get some rest," she insisted. "Nothing is going to happen between here and Eadu."

* * *

Sera turned and continued on her way to the cockpit. Her conversation with the pilot got to her more than she wanted to admit. Did he have family on Jedha? Perhaps she should have asked, but she wasn't sure she could handle the answer. What could she even say? She didn't know what losing a home meant. Before the rebellion, the closest thing she had was her mother's ship. And a ship was a poor substitute for a city.

She shook her head. She couldn't get the roar of the explosion out of her mind. She closed her eyes and she could still see the wall of earth engulfing the ship and the small, out of place moon in the sky.

 _The Holy City is gone. The Empire did it. They actually did it._

She took a breath. One foot in front of the other. She just had to keep one foot in front of the other. First, they had to find Galen Erso. Once they got him off Eadu, then she could think about the rest. She had to take it one step at a time.

She entered the cockpit to see Cassian staring out into hyperspace with a blank expression. She made sure to place a little more pressure into her steps, so not to startle him.

"I can take over if you'd like," she offered, softly.

Cassian didn't say anything for a long while. He turned a few switches, not looking at her. For a moment, Sera thought he hadn't heard her.

"She could be lying, you know," he finally said.

Sera held back a sigh. She didn't want to fight him. It felt like it was all they had done since they started the mission. Without a word, she slipped into the co-pilot seat, and stared out into the void in front of her.

"You don't believe that," she said.

Again, Cassian remained silent. The only indication of his emotions being the smallest twitch of his jaw. "Maybe," he admitted, "but that still means Galen could be lying."

Sera turned her gaze to him and shook her head. "I can't believe that. It's too elaborate a ruse, just to lure us out."

He didn't make any counter argument. It was starting to frustrate Sera. Silence meant one of two things, either she was right, or he was hiding something from her.

"Besides, it doesn't matter," she continued. "We're supposed to bring him back alive any way."

There was a shift then; a blink and you'll miss it flash of doubt on his features. She thought back to when Cassian first sent word to the alliance. She had seen the look on his face; the hardened resolve the appeared after the transmission was over. Whatever his orders were, they didn't sit well with him. If there was one thing which could unsettle Sera more than anything, it was Cassian even remotely questioning his orders.

"We are bringing him back alive, aren't we?" Sera questioned. "Those were the orders Mon Mothma gave us."

Cassian wasn't even trying to hide the fact he wasn't looking at her. His grip on the stirring tightened as he tried to distract himself by adjusting the controls.

"Those were the orders Mon Mothma gave us," he repeated blankly.

Sera's jaw tightened as she realized who had received Cassian's message. It was no secret amongst the rebel soldiers that she did not like General Draven. She always found his methods too swift and brutal for her taste with little thought of the consequences. In his mind, so long as the job got done, none of it mattered. And he did get the job done. The high command trusted him. Cassian trusted him, and she trusted Cassian. It was a strenuous paradox.

She could only guess what Draven had ordered Cassian to do. But she knew, whatever it was, she had to convince him not to.

"I have to believe Galen is telling the truth," she said, "because it he isn't, we've already lost."

Finally, he met her eyes. It was the same look he had given her when she first declared she believed Jyn. It was the same look he had given her years ago, as she clung to his jacket while Imperial bombers dropped their load overhead. She had told him she wasn't afraid, even as the bunker shook around them. It was a pitying look, patronizing. She didn't want his pity. She wanted him to believe her. The only thing keeping her from falling over the edge was the vague hope that Galen Erso wasn't lying. For her own sanity, she needed him to believe too.

She watched his face carefully. There was a brief flicker of hesitation. A glance of vulnerability and something she could only categorize as guilt. For a second she thought he was going to tell her something. But the moment passed. His old resolve took hold and Captain Andor, rebel intelligence stood before her.

"When we get to Eadu. I need you to stay with the ship," he said.

It wasn't a suggestion. It took everything in her not to scream.

"Yes, sir," she replied, tightly.

Without another word, she got up from her seat, and took a place across from the control panel. She turned her head toward the cabin, looking at the assortment of new comrades aboard.

The pilot, the guardians, the rebel, all of them believed in the message. The belied in Galen Erso. She leaned her head against the wall of the ship, closing her eyes. She knew once they reached Eadu, she would have to make a choice. And, for the first time in her life, Cassian wasn't the obvious answer.


End file.
